Policy

June 1, 2016

Sustainable food security on the Cam

CCF’s ever-popular Summer Symposium series continues with an event co-organised with the Global Food Security Initiative, Cambridge Conservation Initiative, UCCRI and Centre of Development Studies. The day will explore solutions to ensuring the supply and distribution of enough food for all whilst conserving ecosystems and biodiversity in the face of population growth, economic growth and changing climate.

CCF is the Cambridge Conservation Forum, and whether their summer symposia are indeed “ever-popular” or not, this year’s edition, on Food Security, Sustainability and Conservation, does look pretty inviting. It’s on 24 June and you can book now. Worth a punt. ¹

June 1, 2016June 1, 2016

Not so superfoods

Nice to see what I hope is the beginning of a “superfoods” backlash, spearheaded by Sense About Science and their Ask For Evidence campaign, together with the British Dietetic Association:

superfoods

Bioversity’s DG Ann Tutwiler gave the compellingly titled presentation On NOT finding the world’s next superfood at the Kew shindig a couple of weeks back, but, annoyingly, undermined her own message on the importance of agrobiodiversity for diverse diets by repeatedly using the term she was supposedly debunking. ²

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The BDA message is much more straightforward.

May 31, 2016July 14, 2017

Nibbles: Heirloom rice, Kava traditions, State turnip, Japanese paper, Potato Day, Madagascar invasion

There’s Carolina Gold in them thar hills. Latest in a long list…
Kava in the Pacific, island by island.
A really ugly heirloom turnip is Vermont’s state vegetable. In other news, there are state vegetables.
This video will make you want to make your own paper, I guarantee it.
Oh come on, we missed Peru’s National Potato Day?
Crop remains confirm Malagasy origins. But was Carolina Gold among them? Here’s the paper.

May 23, 2016May 23, 2016

Brainfood: Italian chickens, Maca genome, Ordonomics, AnGR, Stuffed potato, Biological control, Wild pea, Rice landraces

Genetic variability of two Italian indigenous chicken breeds inferred from microsatellite marker analysis. Two Piedmontese breeds are closer to British breeds than other Italian or continental chickens. And poorly managed to boot.
Genome of plant maca (Lepidium meyenii) illuminates genomic basis for high altitude adaptation in the central Andes. It’s the whole genome duplications, stupid.
Rationalizing the GMO Debate: The Ordonomic Approach to Addressing Agricultural Myths. Yeah that’ll work.
Factors and determinants of animal genetic resources management activities across the world. Capacity, says fancy maths.
Accumulation of Genetic Diversity in the US Potato Genebank. The collection may need to double.
Structure, function and management of semi-natural habitats for conservation biological control: A review of European studies. There is plenty of information on natural enemies in natural habitats (though not in woodlands, surprisingly), but not much on whether they make it to adjacent fields and actually have an effect on pests.
Prospects of the use of wild relatives for pea breeding. More work needed. Starting with translating this thing from the Russian.
Genetic Diversity Analysis Reveals Importance of Green Revolution Gene (Sd1 Locus) for Drought Tolerance in Rice. Back to the landraces.

May 19, 2016May 19, 2016

Nibbles: Botanical gardens, Glass flowers, Remarkable trees, Rhubarb history, Expensive pumpkin, Back to the future, Quinoa glut, Citrus greening biocontrol

All of BGCI’s ex situ surveys on one cool page. Have they re-modelled their website?
Harvard’s glass flowers are totally cool.
The world’s coolest trees.
Rhubarb is cooler than you think.
I’m not sure paying over a thousand pounds for a pumpkin seed is all that cool.
Conventional breeding is cooler than genetic engineering. Cool quote of the week: “I tell my students they should drop acid before they go to the field, and just look at the plants and let them tell you what they are doing.”
Is the coolness over for quinoa? Jeremy unavailable for comment.
Cool Pakistani bug may help with citrus greening in the US. But don’t stop looking for resistance, y’all.