Nibbles

February 24, 2021

Nibbles: Improving heirlooms, CRISPR, Greening, International Space Station

Breeding better beans.
Including soybeans.
And potatoes.
And grapes. In space.

February 23, 2021February 23, 2021

Nibbles: Costich, GHUs, Locusts, Brachiaria, Fruits & veggies, Ag data, Agroecology

Dr Costich’s Odyssey.
CGIAR Germplasm Health Units: Between the Scylla of spreading pests and diseases and the Charybdis of getting stuff out to genebank users too slowly.
Turning insects into food
Feeding cattle under the Congolese sun.
Plenty of intoxicating fruits out there besides lotus.
Weaving a web of data for food security.
Europe heeds the siren song of agroecology.

February 20, 2021February 22, 2021

Nibbles: Bangladeshi gardens, Rambo root, Invasive hybrids, Pomologia, CWR, Genebanks, Deforestation, Agroecology, Post-2020, Intergenerational justice

Floating gardens are a solution.
Cassava is a solution.
Eco-fusion is a solution.
Art is a solution.
Crop wild relatives are a solution.
Genebanks are a solution.
Understanding the effect of agricultural commodities on forests is a solution.
My agroecology is a solution, but not your agroecology.
2021 will be a solution.
Long-term thinking is the solution.

February 17, 2021February 17, 2021

Nibbles: Goodness edition

What makes a good seed?
What makes good seed conservation?
No, really, what makes good seed conservation?
What makes better seeds?
What makes good seed planting?
What makes a good tree for seed planting?

February 16, 2021February 15, 2021

Nibbles: Breeding conference, Anthropology conference, Ecosystem services, Quality of life, Gates on CGIAR, Cost of diets

The 10th Annual Cornell Plant Breeding Symposium is coming up in April.
The Anthropology and Conservation Virtual Conference is coming up in October.
How much is a farm worth, environmentally speaking? Plant breeders and anthropologists invited to reply.
How much is nature worth to quality of life?
How much is the research of CGIAR worth?
How much does a healthy diet cost?
The oldest beer factor? Priceless?

1. Why the modern food system prizes uniformity even though resilience depends on diversity. Spoiler alert: follow the money.
2. Historic crop varieties are finding renewed relevance as farmers contend with more volatile weather, emerging pests and changing markets. Let’s hope there’s money to conserve them.
3. India’s traditional wheat varieties contain diversity that could help breeders develop crops better able to withstand heat and drought. Let’s hope there’s money to conserve them.
4. India announces significant progress in conserving its wild rice genetic resources. Great that there was money to conserve them.
5. Community seed banks across Kenya are calling for formal recognition and sustained support, arguing that locally managed collections strengthen seed sovereignty, preserve traditional varieties and help farming communities adapt to climate change. Yes, but are they enough without national genebanks?
6. Researchers are racing to conserve wild coffee species whose genetic diversity may provide the resistance and resilience needed to secure tomorrow’s morning cup. Is the industry contributing, though ?
7. New history of the macadamia traces its remarkable journey from Australia’s native forests to a global crop, while underscoring why conserving the remaining wild populations is essential for the crop’s long-term future.
8. Researchers at the University of the South Pacific investigate how taro can withstand climate change, combining research with conservation to help protect one of the region’s most culturally and nutritionally important staple crops.
9. Chester Zoo collects seeds from highly threatened cacti, because why not?
Published on July 14, 2026