Nibbles

February 13, 2020

Nibbles: Costs edition

What should food cost? Enough to support genebanks and breeding, natch.
What would sustainable coffee cost? Including genebanks and breeding, I hope.
And sustainable bananas? Including genebanks and breeding, of course.

February 12, 2020

Nibbles: CWR book, Seed pix, Distilling, Sorghum, Posters, Self-sufficiency

E-book on using crop wild relatives in breeding.
The aesthetics of conserving seeds.
The best corn for whiskey.
Going back to sorghum in Kenya.
Another take on how to make a cool scientific poster.
One way to crunch the numbers on eating local.

February 11, 2020February 11, 2020

Nibbles: CGN, Software, Foods, MSB, Old date, Cacao lab, Cherokee seeds, Data viz, Popmillets

New-look website for the Dutch genebank.
Software for germplasm management.
198 countries, 198 fave foods.
A visit to the MSB. With video goodness.
Cherokee Nation sends sacred seeds to Svalbard. No video yet.
Update on that 2000-year-old date.
UC Davis gets a new cacao lab from Mars. Maybe a genebank next?
Plot your data online, why don’t you.
Puffing up millets.

February 4, 2020February 11, 2020

Nibbles: Greek breads, Community seed saving double, Seed diversity, Domestication lecture, Food System Dashboard

How many different kinds of bread do you think there are ancient Greek words for?
“As phenomenally important as the USDA [seed banks] and the Svalbard [Global Seed Vault] are, they are repositories for biodiversity, not places we can call up to get seeds to plant five acres of corn.”
As above, but in India.
As above, but from a seed company.
Barbara Schaal on domestication. With video goodness.
A Food System Dashboard to rule them all: describe, diagnose, decide. Not there yet, but almost. It says here.

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020

Nibbles: Genebanks & CC, Cherokee seeds, CWR art, Chefs & diversity, Plant Treaty, Beer!

Another pean to genebanks from Mike Jackson.
Cherokee Nation shares seeds.
Mitsuaki Tanabe’s wild rice sculptures.
Weird menus are the best menus.
Despite everything “…the International Seed Federation (ISF) says the ITPGRFA remains the preferred tool for access- and benefit-sharing of genetic resources for plant breeders.”
The proteomics of beer. And beards.

Fresh Nibbles

Why the modern food system prizes uniformity even though resilience depends on diversity. Spoiler alert: follow the money.
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.
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.
India announces significant progress in conserving its wild rice genetic resources. Great that there was money to conserve them.
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?
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 ?
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.
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.
Chester Zoo collects seeds from highly threatened cacti, because why not?

Published on July 14, 2026