Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

March 7, 2012

ICRAF DG shakes up the landscape

“But how do we communicate an approach that has no common language?” asked Tony Simons, Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre. He literally threw this question on the audience by tossing into the air a set of 74 note-cards containing different terms used to describe integrated landscape management. “These words are neither comprehensive nor coherent.”

So many times I’ve wanted to do that with those little note-cards people make you write on during workshops… Follow the fun of the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature International Forum on Twitter.

March 6, 2012March 6, 2012

Featured: EU seed law

Isabel is not optimistic about EU seed law:

Since it was sued by some big seed companies, Kokopelli, and other similar organizations, are embarked in an admirable crusade to open up the EU seed market to non registered varieties, particularly traditional ones, coming from EU countries but also abroad. They are certainly making their voices heard, but I am afraid they will need more than that to actually influence EU bodies.

Worth a try, though, I guess.

March 6, 2012March 6, 2012

Ag day on Women’s day, or vice versa

You couldn’t make this up.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center has just reproduced an announcement about Ag Day 2012, which will take place on 8 March. As it so happens, that day is also International Women’s Day. What a great opportunity, then, to celebrate the huge contribution that women around the world make to growing food, nourishing their families, and selling their surplus to others. Does Ag Day offer any of that? Does it heck. Will we be able to do any better? That depends.

March 5, 2012March 5, 2012

Brainfood: Water, Policy, Geneflow

The water footprint of humanity. Someday you’ll need this. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.
Evolution in biodiversity policy – current gaps and future needs. EU policies are all but useless; but you knew that.
Genomic regions in crop–wild hybrids of lettuce are affected differently in different environments: implications for crop breeding. To prevent the spread of GMO genes to wild relatives, it matters where you make the insertion.

March 5, 2012

Normal service to be resumed, eventually

Sorry about the light blogging on my part lately, ¹ due to being on the road with other things on my mind. When that happens in the future, as it probably will next week, do check up on us on Twitter, Facebook and Scoop.it, as there may still be some micro-blogging going on among the packing and unpacking. But you knew that.