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Training course in the offing

This just in.

International training programme on contemporary approaches in genetic resources conservation and use
Wageningen, The Netherlands, 6 April–1 May 2009

Wageningen International and the Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands (CGN), in cooperation with Bioversity International and GFU for Underutilized Species are organizing a four-week training programme on genetic resources conservation and use.

The training programme is designed for project co-ordinators, senior staff, managers, trainers, programme leaders and other professionals who aim to promote the conservation and use of genetic resources for agriculture from a policy, research, education or development perspective. The programme consists of four two-week modules, organized in parallel sessions:

  1. Genetic resource policies and conservation strategies, 6–17 April
  2. Adaptive genetic resources management, 6–17 April
  3. Enhancing agrobiodiversity use: markets and chains, 20 April–1 May
  4. Integrated approaches in crop improvement and seed supply, 20 April–1 May

The programme is part of the annual course portfolio of Wageningen International. With the Global Plan of Action on Animal Genetic Resources having come into force in 2007, new is that the training programme will address plant as well as animal genetic resources. The latter will be specifically addressed in module 3 from a conservation perspective, and in module 4 from a sustainable use perspective. To this end, programme modules addressing plant and animal issues specifically will be run in parallel. Also the module on integrated approaches in crop improvement and seed supply is new.

Please find more details on the programme, and a link to the application form on the Wageningen International website.

Fellowships are available from the Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) for nationals of certain countries. NFP-candidates must FIRST apply to Wageningen International for admission to the training. The deadline for this first application is 15 November 2008. Acceptable candidates will receive a PROVISIONAL LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE from Wageningen International. Candidates can then apply for a NFP fellowship through the Netherlands Embassy or Consulate in their own country before 30 November 2008.

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Organics examined

David Zetland, the aguanomics blogger, has rounded up a couple of choice items on organic agriculture. There’s a report from UNEP and UNCTAD on Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa.

According to a newspaper report,

An analysis of 114 projects in 24 African countries found that yields had more than doubled where organic, or near-organic practices had been used. That increase in yield jumped to 128 per cent in east Africa.

The article goes on to say that

[O]rganic practices outperformed traditional methods and chemical-intensive conventional farming. It also found strong environmental benefits such as improved soil fertility, better retention of water and resistance to drought. And the research highlighted the role that learning organic practices could have in improving local education.

David doesn’t like that because he says that UNCTAD is “known for its anti-globalization perspective”. But how, exactly, would this invalidate the conclusions or the report? Furthermore, he says that:

[T]he 114 analyzed projects involved 1.9 million farmers on 2.0 million ha. Those are SMALL farms, and it’s hard to imagine expanding organic practices everywhere, at all scales.

Indeed they are small, just over a hectare each. But actually, that’s big, for most subsistence farmers. and I would argue that it is less important to expand organic practices everywhere at all scales than it is to give the smallest landholders (and, more so, those who don’t even own land) access to sustainable practices that can boost resilience and yields and deliver environmental benefits. Not necessarily organic, but soundly based on agricultural biodiversity.

P.S. Follow the other links in David’s piece if you’re more interested in “truth” than rhetoric.

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What’s a bison worth these days?

$4906.25, according to a post by David Willcove, excellent conservation biologist. He points out that a Colorado rancher was fined $157,000 for illegally killing 32 bison that had wandered onto his land last winter. Willcove discusses the conflict between wildlife and livestock in terms of the fear of disease. Bison could transmit brucellosis to cattle, but, Willcove says,

There has never been a documented case of a wild bison transmitting brucellosis to a cow, but the mere possibility that it could happen is enough to cause the State of Montana to insist on the death penalty for all bison that wander outside the park boundary (unless they can be chased back into the park…but try making a bison go where you want it to go).

You would think it might be possible for livestock and wildlife to co-exist, especially in a place where it really is not a matter of life and death, and Willcove has some suggestions to achieve that. But don’t hold your breath.