Posts

Posted on

Beer drinkers finally get recognition they deserve

We have been keeping an interested eye on the apparent resurgence of sorghum in some parts of Africa, driven by climate change, sure, but also by man’s (and woman’s) unquenchable thirst for beer. The latest story along those happy lines comes from Kenya. It might have remained a mere Nibble, but for the coincidental appearance of a study suggesting that “beer drinkers can serve as role models for the nation as it struggles to emerge from recession.” In Britain and, presumably, in Africa too.

LATER: Oh, and this just in too. A fine day for beer drinkers indeed.

Posted on

African Agriculture Science week

“As good as being there.” That’s the very professional blog created by the folks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso for FARA’s General Assembly and 5th African Agriculture Science week. We’ve linked to the programme before now, and invited submissions, but now we — and you — have a direct line to the goings on. 1 Of particular interest so far, the presentation by Bioversity International’s DG Emile Frison on diversity and nutrition, and a wee bit about pollinator diversity.

The Fara week 2010 blog is on our radar, and it raises an interesting question: what happens to the blog and the information in years to come? One-off, purpose-built blogs like this are great, especially when they’re as well put together as this one, but do they have a sustainability plan?

LATER: Oh, and Jules Pretty is pretty good on why everything you think you know about African agriculture is wrong.

Posted on

Featured: Cassava

Detoxifying cassava prompts Ford to ask interesting questions:

I knew about the value of cyanide to deter theft and pests and have also read that it’s a useful pool of nitrogen for the root, but reducing “the social obligation to share” is interesting. As I recall, “Famine in Peasant Societies” puts part of the blame for famines on the expectation that anyone who gets a little ahead will share with relatives, rather than investing in irrigation equipment or whatever. Bank accounts, even if they don’t pay interest, offer a way to hide resources from relatives so, the book claims, famines became less likely. Still, do the risks of sharing outweigh the benefits? Or is there some optimum level of sharing?

One for the game theorists?

Posted on

Call for nominations for William L. Brown Award open

The William L. Brown Award recognizes the outstanding contributions of an individual towards the study of useful plants and their conservation. It is administered by the William L. Brown Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden and is made possible through a generous endowment from the Sehgal Family Foundation, in cooperation with the family of Dr. Brown.

If you want to nominate someone for this year’s award, you have until 31 August.