Category: Training

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Brush up your seedcraft

I recently came across a few interesting resources that I’d like to share.

Bangor University has a publication out that might be useful to people doing research — or perhaps even implementing projects — having to do with in situ conservation: Conservation social science: A handbook for conducting research on rule breaking in conservation. 1

Understanding who follows rules and why, is pivotal for shaping and informing the design of conservation policy and strategies on the ground. If based on erroneous assumptions, sustainable solutions are unlikely to be realised. Conservation scientists need skills and methods that help them understand the prevalence and drivers of illegal activities.

I never really thought about it, but yeah, I guess they do. In any case, always a good idea for biology-focused conservationists to brush up on social science methods.

I’m not sure if the Center for Plant Conservation’s Applied Plant Conservation Course deals with rule-breaking explicitly, but Module V: Common Reasons for Reintroduction/Mitigation Failure might well cover it to some extent.

And finally, Kew has a cryopreservation course in the works for November 2025. And a more general seed conservation techniques course for October. No illegal activities are envisaged.

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Open call for applications to an international course on Sustainable Food Production

We are pleased to announce the international course on “Sustainable Food Production”. It will be hosted at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice (Italy), July 10th – 15th, 2025, as part of the 5th International School of Materials for Sustainable Development and Energy. The Ettore Majorana Schools are prestigious and attract outstanding instructors and students from around the world. The setting is quite spectacular in the medieval hilltop town of Erice, Sicily.

Ph.D. students interested in food production and sustainable agriculture are eligible to apply. Experts in these topics will present a broad range of approaches to address the grand challenge of food security under climate change. We will describe the global data on food systems, discuss how crops deal with biotic and abiotic stresses, and examine the tools and solutions to the grand challenge. We will teach advances in the fields of agroecology, conservation, and utilization of crop wild relatives, as well as biotechnology approaches, including genomics, the use of whole genomes, gene editing, and AI in modern breeding. We will also present new food production systems and consider their environmental costs and scalability.

Applicants should include a One-page motivation letter stating their background, why they want to join the course, their long-term professional plans, a CV with a list of publications, and one recommendation letter. The deadline for applications is June 1st, 2025. Answers will be given by June 10th, 2025. Forty students will be chosen by three of the course lecturers. Please send applications to avi.levy at weizmann.ac.il.

Costs for students: € 900 for the whole period. The cost of € 900 is all-inclusive: accommodation in double rooms for students, meals (drinks excluded), two coffee breaks, social events (e.g., excursion), and pick up at Palermo or Trapani airports to Erice at whatever time they arrive. The same goes for departure. Flight to Palermo or Trapani airports is not included. A limited number of fellowships are available for students from Low-income countries.

Yours sincerely,

The Directors of the School

Prof. Avi Levy and Dr Jacques Le Gouis

Lecturers
Avi Levy, Weizmann Institute
Jacques Le Gouis, INRAE
Dan Bebber, Univ. of Exeter
Menachem Moshelion, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
David Zeevi, Weizmann Institute
Francesca Desiderio, CREA
Luigi Guarino, Crop Trust
Ron Milo, Weizmann Institute
Nicola Randall, Harper Adams University
Guillaume Ramstein, Aarhus University

Schedule Erice Course v3

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Nibbles: Genebanks in the US, CIAT, Egypt, Cambridge Botanic Garden, Chilean wild tomato, Kenyan veggies, PNG diet, PGRFA course

  1. The USDA genebank is in the news. But will that save it?
  2. The CIAT genebank in on a podcast. Can’t hurt, I guess.
  3. The Egyptian genebank is in the news. And on a new website, apparently.
  4. Good to see botanic gardens in the news too.
  5. I wonder which genebank or botanic gardens this apparently re-discovered endemic Chilean wild tomato will end up in. If any.
  6. But genebanks are not enough. You need vegetable fairs too.
  7. Because vegetables are good for you. And not just in Kenya, also in Papua New Guinea.
  8. Want to learn about all of the above? Check out the resources from the Entry-Level Training School on Plant Genetic Resources in 2023.
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Nibbles: Tree seeds, Tepary beans, USDA trials, Seed Savers Exchange, China genebank, Nepal indigenous crops, Giant yams, Brogdale, Old apples, AI taxonomy, FEED database, IPBES Nexus report, Business & biodiversity

  1. Collecting tree seeds properly and respectfully is not easy.
  2. No word on how easy it is to collect tepary beans respectfully.
  3. Helping the USDA with their germplasm evaluations, on the other hand, is a breeze. Any tepary beans?
  4. Seed Savers Exchange makes conserving seeds look easy. Spoiler alert: it isn’t.
  5. It seems to be very easy to open new national genebanks in China.
  6. Farming is easier in Nepal with indigenous crops.
  7. Giant yams don’t look very easy to grow, but that’s not stopping some dedicated Indian women.
  8. It’s pretty easy — and fun — to visit the United Kingdom’s National Fruit Collection.
  9. Someone mention apples? Loammi Baldwin knew a thing or two about them.
  10. It’s going to get easier to identify plants. It says here.
  11. If you’re looking for interventions or policies to shift diets towards being healthier and more sustainable, your job just got a little easier.
  12. Likewise if you think the crises of biodiversity loss, water and food insecurity, health risks and climate change should be tackled together.
  13. Yes, even if you’re a business trying to manage your biodiversity risk you have a right to have it easier. Start by being respectful when climbing trees?