Nibbles – Page 447 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

November 13, 2007

Timing agricultural transition

When did Bhutan go agricultural? Dr Putterman says 5500 BP.

November 8, 2007November 8, 2007

Watermelon vine decline culprit identified

Watermelon vine decline: new virus to blame.

November 8, 2007November 7, 2007

The gathering of the gooseberries

Cheshire is a veritable hotbed of gooseberry growing.

November 7, 2007

Walnuts in Wisconsin

Running a walnut farm is hard work.

November 7, 2007

Promoting local vegetables in Africa

Nigeria should follow Kenyan example on traditional veggies.

1. Ancient farmers didn’t have to wait for the genetic diversity that made domestication possible. They selected from variation already present in wild plants, including the ancestors of rice and maize. Domestication was as much about spotting (or happening upon) useful differences as creating new ones.
2. English colonists in America called Indigenous dogs “wolves,” revealing as much about colonial perceptions as about the animals themselves. This history of Indigenous dogs shows how unfamiliar animals were classified through peculiarly European ideas about wildness.
3. Austria is bringing forgotten apple varieties back to life. Saving old varieties in genebanks is one thing: getting people to grow, sell and eat them is another, but it can be done. Or at least tried.
4. Jordan’s olive-oil heritage centres on traditional varieties such as Nabali and ancient Rumi trees, but most production is consumed locally, leaving exports limited and making provenance, cultivar and harvest date important indicators for buyers. Compare and contrast with Austrian apples.
5. Small island developing states have distinctive food cultures and ingredients, but face particular challenges in building sustainable and resilient food systems. FAO’s A Taste of SIDS explores the connections between island food, biodiversity and culinary heritage. Nice to see diversity within crops considered, though a few local variety names would have been nice.
Published on October 21, 2026