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More organic meta-analysis

Never rains but it pours. Hardly had I finished writing about the dismantling of the “conservation agriculture” narrative, that news is out of a serious going over for (part of) the organic agriculture one as well.

An independent review commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) shows that there are no important differences in the nutrition content, or any additional health benefits, of organic food when compared with conventionally produced food. The focus of the review was the nutritional content of foodstuffs.

Only about a third of the 162 studies from the past 50 years considered in the meta-analysis saw “a small number of differences in nutrition between organic and conventionally produced food but not large enough to be of any public health relevance.” Studies such as this one, presumably.

This follows a meta-analysis by the American Council on Science and Health which came to a similarly skeptical conclusion. That report was criticized in some quarters. And apparently the Soil Association has expressed some reservations about this latest study and called for better research. We can all go along with that, I think..

LATER. Reaction to the report from Civil Eats, US Food Policy and The Organic Centre. Bottom line is perhaps put best by Parke Wilde:

It is wisest to make your decisions about organic and conventional food primarily based on your assessment of the environmental considerations. The nutrient differences are not as decisive.

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Featured: Animal tissue banks

Harvey Blackburn notes that animal tissue genebanks are more common than was implied in a recent post.

Perhaps you should be exploring the number of gene banks which are developing comprehensive animal collections that can be used to reconstitute animal populations. Such gene banks have already been established in the U.S. through USDA/Agricultural Research service, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Brazil, Tunisia, Uganda and China.

Check out the USDA genebank numbers.

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Run DMC

ResearchBlogging.orgI am painfully aware of the risk we run here at the Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog of becoming single-issue bores. 1 To a hammer, everything is a nail. And if your thing is agrobiodiversity, you’ll naturally be tempted to think that every problem can be solved by the judicious application of an agrobiodiversity thwack. How refreshing it must be to occasionally think against the grain, and question your most cherished assumptions. That possibility is why — apart from my native contrariness — I so enjoyed a recent paper in Field Crops Research very appropriately entitled “Conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in Africa: The heretics’ view.” 2 Even though it didn’t really have much to do with agricultural biodiversity.

Continue reading “Run DMC”

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Fermentation in the Himalayas

The recent post on fermentation clearly struck a chord with our friend and colleague Bhuwon Sthapit of Bioversity International. Here’s his contribution to the discussion.

It is interesting to note the myriad different ways in which locally available cereals and other sources of food are fermented by local people through the action of microorganisms, either naturally or by adding a starter culture, which modifies the substrate biochemically and organoleptically into and edible product, generally nutritious, tasty and safe. These inexpensive, culturally acceptable traditional foods provide basic diets and sources of nutrition. In the Hindu-Kush Himalayan region alone more than 20 varieties of ethnic fermented food are found and more than 10 types of fermented beverages are consumed in Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. Most of them are common, while other fermented foods are less familiar and confined to particular communities and locations.

Continue reading “Fermentation in the Himalayas”

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Featured: More fermentation

Raymond also weighs in on fermentation, sounding a warning:

Pablo is right when he says that many species in West and Central Africa are noteworthy for their use as fermented staple foods. Genetic diversity plays important role in this as not all varieties give good quality products. Unfortunately some old varieties known for their high value in fermentation are disappearing for their limited yield potential. They are being replaced with high yielding but poor quality modern varieties. Studies also revealed that cropping practices (type and quantity of fertilizer, chemicals used etc.) may impact on the quality of products.

Meanwhile, in another part of the world, canning is making a comeback.