Catha edulis – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

August 5, 2010August 5, 2010

Nibbles: FARA, Khat, Pepsi in Peru

Another blog about FARA’s 2010 meeting, this post features our friend Ehsan Dulloo. (Where’s an aggregator when you need one?)
Mikrokhan masticates the khat economy. Would it really not grow locally?
PepsiCo invests USD3 million over 3 years in Peruvian potatoes. Why not use CIP?

1. The COUSIN project aims to conserve (trans situ, no less) and use crop wild relatives in Europe.
2. That “use” part can be tough.
3. But that doesn’t stop the fine people at Aardaia. At least where aardaker (Lathyrus tuberosus) is concerned.
4. From alternative potatoes in the Netherlands to alternative beans in Indonesia. All in the cause of diversification.
5. No need to find an alternative to amaranth in the American SW. Not with devoted chefs on the job.
6. The Iraqi Seed Collective is taking seeds from American genebanks to that country’s diaspora in the US, and eventually back to Iraq itself. Maybe chefs will help.
7. Good thing there are genebank backups, eh?
Published on July 9, 2025