Worldmapper has a new series of cartograms out, and very depressing they are too. ((Via National Geographic.)) They show the size of territories scaled in proportion to the absolute numbers of deaths from various causes. Look in particular at the nutritional deficiencies map. But for a real shock, check out the specific map for vitamin A deficiency. Remember, this is something that is totally preventable, thanks to agrobiodiversity. No wonder that scientists working in Africa have highlighted the importance of high beta-carotene sweet potato cultivars in the recent global survey of sweet potato research priorities carried out by the International Potato Centre (CIP). ((Via EurekAlert.)) Coincidentally, I also found today a report on an attempt to promote sweet potato (and other root crops) on the ground in Africa, focusing on women and homegardens. ((Via Eldis.)) The researchers say that one of the things that can be useful in encouraging adoption is providing information on nutritional benefits.
Herbal remedies
Aromatic agrobiodiversity was in the news and the peer-reviewed literature today. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) got a good write-up in ScienceDaily. It turns out that one of chemicals found in its spiky leaves — carnosic acid — can protect the brain from free radicals, but is only activated by the damage caused by these compounds. Otherwise it just sits there doing nothing, which is what you want in a drug. Anyway, there are lots of different varieties of rosemary, and different levels of carnosic acid among them. There are also wild populations in the Mediterranean, as of other herbs as well, and people who make a living harvesting them from the garrigue. That can sometimes be overdone, resulting in damage to the plants, and to the environment, due to increased soil erosion when it rains. So a study from Spain just published in the journal Catena is welcome. It quantified how much harvesting of various aromatic shrubs (lavender, oregano, sage and santolina) you can do before the soil starts to suffer. The recommendation is to leave 50% of the plant biomass in the field.
More on SRI
Remember the somewhat controversial System of Rice Intensification (SRI)? Well here’s a video of it being taught in farmer field schools in Thailand. The work is being done by the Asian Institute of Technology and Thai Education Foundation on a small grant from the CGIAR Challenge Programme on Water and Food. I found a report on the project from mid-2006, but it seems only preliminary.
What’s your poison?
One of the more interesting — and controversial — uses of biodiversity, both wild and agricultural, is to cause altered states of consciousness. As luck would have it, there were three things sort of on this topic which caught my eye today.
First, a short article from the New Scientist appeared in my feed reader about how the UN Environment Programme has singled out for conservation a chunk of desert in Chihuahua, northern Mexico. The importance of this area comes from the fact that it is the home of the peyote cactus, source of the hallucinogenic alkaloid mescaline, and objective of an annual pilgrimage by the Huichol people.
Then there was a EurekAlert piece about funding for an attempt to breed new varieties of the opium poppy and of cannabis that could be used to produce useful bioproducts, but not illicit drugs. This is apparently all going to take place in an ultra-secure Canadian mine shaft. Maybe they could then store the resulting seed in another famous hole in the ground?
And finally, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has a cool interactive map where you can find out about famous British brewers.
Mescaline, dope and beer. In the words of Major T.J. “King” Kong, “Shoot, a fella’ could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that agrobiodiversity.” Well, he almost said that.
The Value of Biodiversity to Food and Agriculture
CALL FOR PAPERS
Special Issue of Biodiversity
The Value of Biodiversity to Food and Agriculture
To be released at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD/COP9) in Bonn, Germany, 19-30 May 2008. The issue will coincide with the review of the Programme of work on Agricultural Biodiversity, as well as with the celebrations of the International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May on the theme of Agriculture and Biodiversity. The following topics will be considered for publication:Â
Other related topics will also be considered. Please submit your abstracts (250 words or less) by 16 November 2007 to the Managing Editor, Stephen Aitken (aitken@tc-biodiversity.org). Space is limited. For more information on Biodiversity please visit www.tc-biodiversity.org. Final papers will be due 7 January 2008, and the publication is scheduled for 15 April 2008.
Produced in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and partial support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).