We’ve blogged briefly about how vast areas of the Sahel, far from degenerating, are actually experiencing something of an agricultural rebirth, thanks in some small measure to tree-planting. ((Skeptics may point to rainfall cycles; I’m not sure it matters.)) A post from Oxfam America summarizes some of those efforts, and explains that Oxfam brought some of the people responsible — elevated to eco-hero status — to Washington DC “for discussions with US legislators about local solutions to food insecurity and climate change.” We haven’t noticed any reports of those discussions, but are happy to draw attention to the high impact of local solutions to local problems, especially when they make use of agricultural biodiversity. Thanks to CAS-IP, which has an expanded gloss on Oxfam’s efforts.
Nibbles: Climate change, Papaya sex, Inheritance, AGCommons
- “New study warns that climate change could create agricultural winners and losers in east Africa.” Any other possibilities?
- “Researchers to perform sex change operation on papaya.” Bang goes a bunch of sexual diversity.
- Inherited wealth is good for farmers, better for herders, lousy for hunters.
- AGCommons is a CGIAR project to deliver information to farmers in Africa. Watch their new video, with added Andy Jarvis goodness.
Nibbles: Chocolate, Bloggers, Tokyo rice, Breeding, Nutrition
- Yesterday was National Chocolate Day. ((In the US, the only nation that counts, right?)) Who knew? Not even the experts.
- Oxford 2009; report of the veg bloggers and breeders get-together.
- Ginza rice farm. What happened?
- How do we fund plant breeding? You will let us know, won’t you.
- More Food May Not Mean Less Hunger. Say it isn’t so.
Nibbles: Cryopreservation, Hunger, Rice
- US scientists put ash diversity in the deep freeze, for when they’ve solved the emerald ash borer menace.
- Millions fed: proven successes in agricultural development. A talk on 12 November in Washington DC. Jeremy sez: “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail”.
- War! Huuh! What is it good for? Hybrid rice! Huh?
Agricultural biodiversity at the Diversitas conference
Harry Biggs, of South African National Parks, was at the recent Diversitas conference in Cape Town, and summarized his impressions on the conference web site: What I learnt from the Diversitas conference.. The stuff we wanted to hear:
Achim Steiner (now Exec Director UNEP) spent his keynote talking about how development and conservation have to, and can, find constructive mutuality. He is concerned that much of the renewed development drive is actually re-initiating old formulae which are not sustainable. At the meeting there was considerable emphasis on appropriate agro-biodiversity and dove-tailing of needs. He also feels that as a community we still see climate change (whatever we think about it) as a hindrance or competitive force to our agenda, rather than as an opportunity.
Here’s Steiner’s speech. Was anyone else listening?