Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

March 9, 2012March 9, 2012

Vavilov varieties repatriated to Sardinia

It has come to my attention ¹ that the University of Sassari in Sardinia recently celebrated its 450th anniversary. And among the gifts it received were some seeds of oat and barley varieties collected by NI Vavilov on his 1926 expedition to the island. Fresh ones, I hope. A silver pin of Vavilov and two books — Five Continents and Vavilov and his Institute — rounded out the package. Igor Loskutov, author of the second book, gave a lecture on “Plant genetic resources collections heritage of the humankind”.

We’re trying to find out more about the repatriated varieties.

March 8, 2012March 8, 2012

Argentinian diversity posters

Buenos Aires, a photo by luigig on Flickr.

Including agricultural biodiversity!

March 8, 2012March 9, 2012

International Women’s Day

Just in case we didn’t get anything done ourselves, here’s a little something from Farming First and FAO.

March 7, 2012March 7, 2012

Orto Errante at FAO

I must say I was surprised to see this, here.

Pleasantly surprised.

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.

Fresh Nibbles

Why the modern food system prizes uniformity even though resilience depends on diversity. Spoiler alert: follow the money.
Historic crop varieties are finding renewed relevance as farmers contend with more volatile weather, emerging pests and changing markets. Let’s hope there’s money to conserve them.
India’s traditional wheat varieties contain diversity that could help breeders develop crops better able to withstand heat and drought. Let’s hope there’s money to conserve them.
India announces significant progress in conserving its wild rice genetic resources. Great that there was money to conserve them.
Community seed banks across Kenya are calling for formal recognition and sustained support, arguing that locally managed collections strengthen seed sovereignty, preserve traditional varieties and help farming communities adapt to climate change. Yes, but are they enough without national genebanks?
Researchers are racing to conserve wild coffee species whose genetic diversity may provide the resistance and resilience needed to secure tomorrow’s morning cup. Is the industry contributing, though ?
New history of the macadamia traces its remarkable journey from Australia’s native forests to a global crop, while underscoring why conserving the remaining wild populations is essential for the crop’s long-term future.
Researchers at the University of the South Pacific investigate how taro can withstand climate change, combining research with conservation to help protect one of the region’s most culturally and nutritionally important staple crops.
Chester Zoo collects seeds from highly threatened cacti, because why not?

Published on July 14, 2026