Nibbles: Crop diversity, Coloured rice, Saudi genebank, WorldVeg genebank, Mango genebank, USDA apple genebank, Green Revolution, Organic agriculture

  1. IFAD says we need diverse crops.
  2. KAUST says we need coloured rice.
  3. I hope it will go into Saudi Arabia’s new genebank.
  4. Genebank scientists says we need more collaboration.
  5. Goa thinks they need a new mango genebank.
  6. The USA already has an apple genebank.
  7. But will all these genebanks lead to a new Green Revolution
  8. …or organic farming?
  9. Maybe both.

Nibbles: Heirloom pean, Genebanks, Students, Community seedbanks, Kunming fund, Kenyan sorghum, Italian grapes, Wild tomatoes, Mouflon, Coffee poster, Early modern watermelons, Korean language, Farmers’ rights

  1. Why heirloom seeds matter.
  2. Why genebanks full of heirloom seeds matter. Even to kids.
  3. Why community seedbanks full of heirloom seeds matter.
  4. Just how much agrobiodiversity matters, according to FAO.
  5. Why heirloom seeds of neglected crops matter.
  6. Why heirloom seeds of sorghum matter in Kenya. No, really.
  7. Why heirloom grapes matter in Italy.
  8. Why seeds of wild tomatoes matter.
  9. Even wild sheep matter.
  10. Why visualizing coffee diversity matters.
  11. Why watermelons mattered in the 17th century.
  12. Why bottle gourds mattered to Koreans.
  13. Why farmers’ rights matter.

Brainfood: Nutrition sensitive ag, nLCA, Organic expansion, Cheese value, Ethiopia anemia, Women empowerment, Homegardens, Ultra-processed food industry, Cassava processing

Nibbles: Kenyan maize, Plant ID, Ames genebank, Eating grass, Californian seeds

  1. The hidden history of ugali in Kenya. Unnecessary spoiler alert: colonialism is involved.
  2. An app for taxonomic identification. Unnecessary spoiler alert: AI is involved.
  3. The not-so-hidden history of the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station at Ames, Iowa.
  4. Let them eat grass. No, man, species of the Poaceae. Possibly unnecessary spoiler alert: New Zealand is taking the lead.
  5. The silver lining of Californian storm clouds. Spoiler alert: seeds.

What should the US do?

Good — and not very surprising — to see our friend Prof. Jess Fanzo recommend that “the U.S. should consider targeting additional research funding toward,” among other things, “crop diversity and nutrition.”

Low productivity, high production risks, and insufficient diversification towards producing more nutritious foods are critical drivers of the elevated cost of healthy diets, especially in low-income countries. More research should focus on developing sustainable and scalable production methods for various crops, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, improved forages for climate-smart animal nutrition, and where appropriate, biofortification and fortification of crops and food. In addition, more research is needed to improve the affordability of animal-source foods, such as fish, eggs, and dairy, that would enhance both nutrition and livelihoods.

Though actually probably most of the other five priority research areas she comes up with could also have had “crop diversity” added to the title. For the record, the full list is:

  1. Climate change adaptation and mitigation
  2. Soil health and nutrient management
  3. Crop diversity and nutrition
  4. Access to markets and finance, especially for women
  5. Supply chain infrastructure
  6. Local capacity building

It’s all in Jess’s report for the Farm Journal Foundation, entitled Building Stronger Food Systems in the Face of Global Shocks, which she summarizes on her must-read blog.

I learnt about it on Jeremy’s latest newsletter, which is also a must-read, natch.