Here’s an amusing article but with an important message from Alex Renton from the the Times On-line website.

The author argues that if we made even a small reduction in the amount of meat we eat,  we would make a solid contribution to reducing our carbon foot-print and assist in slowing down climate change.  Some of the figures he states are quite alarming:

<quote>  Meat consumption in China is twice what it was a decade ago, although at about 50g per head a year it is still much less than in richer nations. In Britain we eat 74kg per person, while Americans consume 123kg each. In India they eat about 5kg per year, in most of Africa even less. <unquote>

Renton then provides us with some information on how much actually goes into a meal based dish.  <quote>   It takes roughly 10kg of vegetable matter or cereals to produce 1kg of beef, which means that the resources for one meat-eater’s dinner might feed five times as many people, or more. <unquote>

Read the full article here.

Via the ENDURE website we had the opportunity to view the Eurowheat platform.

The EuroWheat website brings together information on disease management in wheat and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices within a European context. It includes sections dedicated to fungicides, decision support, pathogens, cultivars and yields, and general information on disease management. At present there are 10 participating research institutions from six European countries.

A section of the website that we particularly like is the Decision Supports area that provides end users with information about support systems, their targets, and contact names. Very helpful to have this information available in one place rather than having to sift through thousands of Google hits. Another nice feature is the Public Documents section that provides users with national guidelines and case studies in wheat disease management. At present there are not many documents available but this is most certainly a section that will grow as more European countries and research institutes participate.

If you are interested in wheat, particularly in an European context, the Eurowheat website is worth a look.

Today is World Food Day.

The plight of the world’s hungry is brought to our attention every year on this day. This year’s bitter pill is even harder to swallow as the number of people who experience hunger has risen more than previous years. This is due to rising food prices, food shortages and the world economic crisis.

There is an estimated increase of 105 million hungry people in 2009; consequently there are now 1.02 billion malnourished people in the world, meaning that almost one sixth of all humanity is suffering from hunger!

The future doesn’t look so rosy either, if one begins to contemplate things like climate change and the extreme weather conditions that many developing countries have been experiencing these last few months. Not forgetting the use of agricultural land for biofuel crops rather than food crops.   This year’s World Food Day theme is right on target with it’s “Achieving food security in times of crisis”.

A High-Level Forum on “How to feed the World 2050″ has just been held at the UN agency of FAO which looked at examined policy options that governments should consider adopting to ensure that the world population can be fed when it nears its peak of nearly 9.2 billion people in the middle of this century. Another committee, the Committee on World Food Security is now meeting at FAO (14-17th October) to considered reforms that will enable it to play a much more effective role in the global governance of food security.

Click here for more information on World Food Day

Please also see an earlier post we did on the World Hunger Report

What are your thoughts? We’ve been battling this problem of hunger for decades now – what do you think can be done either on a local or international level to give needy people access to food?

An interesting and recently released booklet from the Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research (PAR) has landed on our desks here in the library. It is titled: Coping with climate change: the use of agrobiodiversity by indigenous and rural communities.

This publication is an outcome of the international PAR workshop on “The use of agrobiodiversity by indigenous peoples and rural communities in adapting to climate change” held at Chiang Mai, June 2009.

It briefly looks at 1) the socio-cultural dimensions to biodiversity conservation and use; 2) the farming practices adopted by rural communities; 3) how we can learn from groups such as African pastoralists (the Maasai in Kenya, the Pokot in Uganda) on climate change adaptation, as well as looking at the 360 degree integration of all the varied aspects of community life (be it socio-cultural, biological physical or environmental) in adapting to climatic change.

The publication is available freely over the internet here (1.4MB). To learn more about the Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research, click here.

The Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) Project that is implemented by Bioversity International with funding provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implementation support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has just issued their latest newsletter.

The CWR Project has been a five year project that has focused on in situ conservation of crop wild relatives through enhanced information management and field application. It has been implemented in five countries Armenia, Bolivia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan.

The project is coming to a close, but there is still a lot of activities and outputs in the pipeline.  Read more about these activities, the project and about individual country updates here.

For more information about the project, see their website.

“How to Feed the World in 2050?” -  How can we ensure that enough food is available for, and accessible to a growing world population? This is the question that is presently being debated on the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum).

The FSN Forum invites interested parties to discuss these and other questions related to the future of agriculture. The topic has been raised by Hartwig de Haen, former Assistant Director General of FAO Economic and Social Development Department.

To join the discussion, please register online here or participate by requesting a temporary subscription at fsn-moderator@fao.org. Contributions can be made in English, French or Spanish.

Results of the debate will help prepare the High-Level Expert Forum on “How to Feed the World in 2050″, scheduled to take place at FAO headquarters in Rome on 12-13 October 2009.

For more information on this event, please consult the forum’s webpage.  Specifically, a summary of the online discussion will be presented to attendants of the meeting while their reactions will be posted on the FSN website for additional feedback.

For further information on the FSN Forum, please contact: fsn-moderator@fao.org

Have your say.

Here are the latest research papers and book chapters authored by our scientists:

Blomme, G.; Turyageyenda, L.F.; Mukasa, H.; Ssekiwoko, F.; Mpirra, S.; Eden-Green, S.(2009)
The effect of the prompt removal of inflorescence-infected plants and early debudding of inflorescences on the control of Xanthomonas wilt of banana. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Recent Advances in Banana Crop Protection for Sustainable Production and Improved Livelihoods. Jones, D.; Van den Bergh, I. (eds.). White River (South Africa), 10-14 Sep 2007. International Society for Horticultural Science (Belgium) p. 51-56 ISBN:9789066054882

Davey, M.W.; Van den Bergh, I.; Markham, R.; Swennen, R.; Keulemans, J.(2009)
Genetic variability in Musa fruit provitamin A carotenoids, lutein and mineral micronutrient contents. Food Chemistry 115 (3): p. 806-813 ISSN:0308-8146

Drucker, A.G.; Rodriguez, L.C. (2009)
Development, intensification and the conservation and sustainable use of farm animal genetic resources. In Agrobiodiversity and economic development. (Kontoleon, U. et al (eds.)). Routledge 92-109 ISBN:978-0-415-46505-2

Jones, D.; Van den Bergh, I. (eds.)(2009)
Proceedings.  International Symposium on Recent Advances in Banana Crop Protection for Sustainable Production and Improved Livelihoods. White River (South Africa), 10-14 Sep 2007. International Society for Horticultural Science (Belgium) 427 p. ISBN:9789066054882

Karamura, E.; Turyagyenda, F.; Tinzaara, W.; Muhangi, J.; Blomme, G.; Maina-Mwangi, F.(2009)
Participatory monitoring and evaluation of management strategies to control Xanthomonas wilt of banana in East and Central Africa. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Recent Advances in Banana Crop Protection for Sustainable Production and Improved Livelihoods. Jones, D.; Van den Bergh, I. (eds.). White River (South Africa), 10-14 Sep 2007. International Society for Horticultural Science (Belgium) p. 405-410 ISBN:9789066054882

Liyama, M.; Kristjanson, P.; Ogutu, J.; Maitima, J.; Kariuki, P. ; Morimoto, Y.; Baur, H. (2009)
Development challenges and natural resources in rural Africa. In Natural resources: management, economic development and protection. (Pauling, J.B. (ed.)). Nova Science Publishers 37 p. ISBN:978-1-60456-982-7

Markham, R.(2009)
Managing diseases and pests of banana: the way ahead?. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Recent Advances in Banana Crop Protection for Sustainable Production and Improved Livelihoods. Jones, D.; Van den Bergh, I. (eds.). White River (South Africa), 10-14 Sep 2007. International Society for Horticultural Science (Belgium) p. 417-427 ISBN:9789066054882

Molina, A.B.; Fabregar, E.; Sinohin, V.G.; Yi, G.; Viljoen, A.(2009)
Recent occurence of Fusarium oxysporum  f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 in Asia. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Recent Advances in Banana Crop Protection for Sustainable Production and Improved Livelihoods. Jones, D.; Van den Bergh, I. (eds.). White River (South Africa), 10-14 Sep 2007. International Society for Horticultural Science (Belgium) p. 109-115 ISBN:9789066054882

Molina, A.B.; Sinohin, V.G.O.; dela Cueva, F.M.; Esguerra, A.V.; Crusido, S.S.; Vida, E.; Temanel, B.E.; Anit, E.A.; Eusebio, J.E.(2009)
Managing banana bunchy top virus in smallholdings in the Philippines. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Recent Advances in Banana Crop Protection for Sustainable Production and Improved Livelihoods. Jones, D.; Van den Bergh, I. (eds.). White River (South Africa), 10-14 Sep 2007. International Society for Horticultural Science (Belgium) p. 383-387 ISBN:9789066054882

Nithya Devi, A.; Ponnuswami, V.; Sundararaju, P.; Van den Bergh, I.; Kavino, M.(2009)
Histopathological changes in banana roots caused by Pratylenchus coffeae, Meloidogyne incognita and Radopholus similis, and identification of RAPD markers associated with P. coffeae resistance. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Recent Advances in Banana Crop Protection for Sustainable Production and Improved Livelihoods. Jones, D.; Van den Bergh, I. (eds.). White River (South Africa), 10-14 Sep 2007. International Society for Horticultural Science (Belgium) p. 283-290 ISBN:9789066054882

Panis, B.(2009)
Cryopreservation of Musa germplasm. 2nd edition.   48 p. ISBN:9782910810863

Roux, N.S.; Toloza, A.; Strosse, H.; Busogoro, J.P.; Dolezel, J.(2009)
Induction and selection of potentially useful mutants in banana. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Recent Advances in Banana Crop Protection for Sustainable Production and Improved Livelihoods. Jones, D.; Van den Bergh, I. (eds.). White River (South Africa), 10-14 Sep 2007. International Society for Horticultural Science (Belgium) p. 315-322 ISBN:9789066054882

Salcedo, J.; Baena, M.; Scheldeman, X.; Vinceti, B.; Willemen, L.(2009)
Survey on conservation and use of forest genetic resources in Latin America. Investigacion Agraria: Sistemas y Recursos Forestales 18(2): p. 132-139 ISSN:1131-7965

Smale, M.; Hazell, P.; Hodgkin, T.; Fowler, C.(2009)
Do we have an adequate global strategy for securing the biodiversity of major food crops?. In Agrobiodiversity conservation and economic development. (Kontoleon, A. et al (eds.)). Routledge p. 40-50 ISBN:9780203890127

Staver, C.(2009)
Increasing the pro-poor impact of banana crop protection stategies: knowing our clients, involving new players and linking more effectively. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Recent Advances in Banana Crop Protection for Sustainable Production and Improved Livelihoods. Jones, D.; Van den Bergh, I. (eds.). White River (South Africa), 10-14 Sep 2007. International Society for Horticultural Science (Belgium) p. 361-374 ISBN:9789066054882

van Treuren,T.; Engels, J.M.M.; Hoekstra, R.; van Hintum,Th.J.L.(2009)
Optimization of the composition of crop collections for ex situ conservation. Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization  7(2): p.185-193 ISSN:1479-2621

van Zonneveld, M.; Jarvis, A.; Dvorak, W.; Lema, G.; Leibing, C. (2009)
Climate change impact predictions on Pinus patula and Pinus tecunumanii populations in Mexico and Central America. Forest Ecology and Management 257(7): p. 1566-1576

van Zonneveld, M.; Koskela, J.; Vinceti, B.; Jarvis, A. (2009)
Impact of climate change on the distribution of tropical pines in Southeast Asia. Unasylva  No. 231-232: p. 24-29 ISSN:0041-6436

zum Felde, A.; Mendoza, A.; Cabrera, J.A.; Kurtz, A.; Schouten, A.; Pocasangre, L.; Sikora, R.A.(2009)
The burrowing nematode of banana: strategies for controlling the uncontrollable. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Recent Advances in Banana Crop Protection for Sustainable Production and Improved Livelihoods. Jones, D.; Van den Bergh, I. (eds.). White River (South Africa), 10-14 Sep 2007. International Society for Horticultural Science (Belgium) p. 101-107

Please contact us should you be interested in any of these papers.

According to the recent Food Security Risk Index issued by Maplecroft, the five most at risk countries (out of 148 surveyed) are Angola, Haiti, Mozambique, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Food Security Risk Index (FSRI) measures the availability, stability
and access to basic food stocks, as well as the impacts on nutrition
and health that result from food insecurity.   The five countries mentioned above have been most hard hit due to factors such as civil wars, poor governance and infrastructure as well as extreme weather conditions.

The countries who fared the best were the USA, France, Canada and Germany.

See the press release and more information here.

The Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources (ISPGR) in collaboration with the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi, is organizing a National Symposium on “Recent Global Developments in the Management of Plant Genetic Resources”, with the objective of providing a forum for discussion among the researchers and other stakeholders regarding the management of PGR and develop suitable strategies for their efficient conservation and sustainable utilization including adaptation to climate change.

It will be held at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa Campus, New Delhi; from the 17-18 December 2009.  There will be four Technical Sessions under the following themes:

* New Technologies in PGR Management: New methods/strategies in PGR collection, evaluation, conservation and utilization, application of molecular tools.
* Germplasm Access and Benefit Sharing: Impact of international and national legal instruments (CBD, ITPGRFA, TRIPs, SPS, BDA, PPVFRA etc.) on access to germplasm, models and modalities of benefit sharing, farmers’ rights, multilateral System, Material Transfer Agreements, intellectual property rights and other related topics.
* Climate Change and Plant Genetic Resources: Impact of climate change on crops, role of PGR in mitigating climate change, researchable issues in addressing climate change using PGR.
* Exchange and Safe Movement of Germplasm: Germplasm introduction, quarantine, biosafety, impact of introduced germplasm in terms of diversification, crop improvement, new pests/pathogens and other related topics.

Interested in more information or would you like to submit a paper? Find out more here.

It’s Friday, and whenever we can we like to finish off the working week with a short video that looks at some aspect of agriculture or biodiversity. This week we have found a short video that looks at coffee.

Coffee is one of the biggest cash crops in the world.  This video focuses on how coffee demand, markets, fair trade and sustainable farming practices all work towards improving livelihoods of farmers in over 60 developing countries.

Please let us know what your thoughts are on the topic.

(Frank Foster Films)