Nibbles – Page 483 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

May 27, 2007May 27, 2007

New natural anti-oxidant source

The seed extract of the South American SapindaceaeÂ berry guarana (Paullinia cupana) has been found to have high levels of anti-oxidant activity.

May 27, 2007May 27, 2007

Another deadly disease

Tomato leaf curl virus has appeared in California, threatening the entire US tomato crop.

May 27, 2007May 27, 2007

Farmers Celebrate Biodiversity Day

Farmers Celebrate Biodiversity Day in Ireland …

May 27, 2007May 27, 2007

CABI e-Zine

CABI has a new e-Zine. And in the first issue, how farmers in Sri Lanka are using the internets to grow better crops.

1. According to WWF, Solving the Great Food Puzzle involves, inter alia, nutritious indigenous crops, agrobiodiverse cropping systems, and traditional food cultures. Those are just 3 of 20 levers for food system transformation. Is it me or are levers and accelerators the current flavours of the month?
2. Even the Gates Foundation agrees on that indigenous crop thing, kinda sorta, if you squint. In this piece, for example, Enock Chikava, Interim Director, Agricultural Development, waxes lyrical about teff.
3. Meanwhile, in the middle of its tomato shortage, and not much interested in teff, the UK is betting on re-establishing prehistoric landscapes full of wild pigs and bison. Bold move.
4. But who needs bison protein when you have the genome of the faba bean? Which after all is a nutritious indigenous crop, part of agrobiodiverse cropping systems, and a component of traditional food cultures.
5. Ah, but you need to manage all that data on indigenous crops, and Clemson University is there to help. WWF take note.
Published on March 21, 2023