The Lubin Files

Let them eat...

Many of the responses that I have seen to the release of the FAO report on eating insects have  been along the lines of, "The price of food is rising, and millions of people don't have enough to eat.  And those guys over at the UN are saying, Let them eat insects..."

I just came across this article from the US press that includes the experience of one journalist who not only tried crispy fried grasshopper tacos, but also includes a list of where in the United States one might freely enjoy a tasty entomological snack.

Cassava plants are dying?

Cassava is a staple food for millions of people across the developing world.  What is this disease I read about in the New York Times that is spreading from East Africa to as far as Nigeria and Angola, and is decimating this essential food crop?

Strange that the NYTimes doesn't name the disease. But I found other articles that identify the disease as a new and particularly virulent strain of "cassava brown streak disease." FAO reported on the danger of the outbreak in November of 2011. Visit this article from the FAO newsroom to access a video of FAO Agricultural Officer Jan Helson, as he speaks about the disease.

The UN and FAO continue to make the case for eating insects.

United States National Public Radio recently reported on the use of insects as food and the obstacles to making large scale consumption and use of insects a reality.  Wealthier nations battle a disgust factor that may greatly affect investment in insect farming, but also have laws that make the use of insects as food difficult.  FAO and the UN are working to clarify laws that would clear the way for greater use of insects as food in developed nations.  If you would like to learn more, you can read the entire article here.

Also have a look at the publication Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security, which was launched by FAO last Monday, 13 May, in conjunction with the International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition.

International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition

FAO is hosting the International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition this week, May 13-15, 2013.  Partners in this conference are CIFOR, Bioversity, and World Agroforestry Centre.  The objectives of the conference are to:

• Highlight the ways in which forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems
  contribute to food security and nutrition
• Explore policy options and innovative approaches for increasing the role of
  forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems in food security and nutrition
• Identify key challenges and bottlenecks hindering that
  contribution

Live webcasting of the conference is available here.

Or you can follow the conference on CIFOR's blog

Background papers associated with this conference are available here.

One more for the library

Courtesy of the Jakarta Post: May 10 2013

Ahmad Helmy Faishal Zaini, Indonesia's State Minister for Acceleration of Development in Underdeveloped Regions visited the David Lubin Memorial Library on Tuesday 7th May 2013, accompanied by the Indonesian Ambassador to Italy and Indroyono Soesilo, the director of Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources.

On this occasion, the Minister donated some beautiful books to the library. The library now has a copy of the book "My Homeland" which is one of the Minister's finest works. This book is a summary of his photographic travels exploring Indonesia, making use of his original photography.

Photography has been the hobby of the Minister since he was in high school.

The above image documents the book donation to FAO's Head Librarian.

 

 

BioOne Online

The Library has organized a trial subscription to BioOne Online. 

BioOne is a “not for profit organization” which provides an online full text database of 176 high-quality biological, ecological and environmental sciences journals from 131 not-for-profit publishers. Almost half of the current titles are published exclusively by BioOne and 72% of the titles are ranked by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI).

Trial access ends on 30th June 2013. Please send any feedback or comments to fao-library-reference@fao.org.

Soil Atlas of Africa

On Friday, 26th April, the European Commission presented the Soil Atlas of Africa.  This atlas is the first of its kind.  It is a collaborative effort of the EU, the African Union, and FAO.

The atlas explains the origin and functions of African soils.  It describes the different soil types that can be found in Africa, and their relevance to local and global issues. It also discusses the principal threats to soil and the steps being taken to protect soil resources.

You can download the publication here:
Part one
Part two
Part three

coconut is life

Have you always thought the coconut is popular just for cooking?

Watch the video Coconut, from nose to tail to discover what it means for many families in Sri Lanka.

Bolivians turn Llama meat into haute cuisine

Did you know that Llama meat, a traditional part of Andean indigenous cuisine has become haute cuisine in Bolivia? 

For years, indigenous Bolivians have enjoyed llama meat, butchered and sold in local markets and cooked by street vendors. 

Today, Llama meat has become a popular menu item in one of the most exclusive restaurants in Bolivia. Soon it could make it into a prominent dish on menus of Bolivian restaurants around the world.

Llama meat is very good for the health, as it contains high protein and fiber. It also contains lower fat than beef and it helps to keep cholesterol levels down.

Here is a link to the the last 10 years of statistics regarding production of meat from the camelid family in Bolivia, downloaded from the FAOSTAT database.

 

Mobile phones and E-farming in Kenya

The latest issue of African Farming and Food Processing presents one example of mobile phones helping farmers in Kenya to make informed decisions about when and what to plant.  

The E-Farming trial program run by the African Soil Information Service (AfSIS) consists of SMS messages sent to farmers who have previously indicated their interest in a particular crop, fertilizer application, market, pesticide use, or other topic.  The farmer may then send separate SMS messages with specific requests for information as well.  Those farmers involved in this trial program find the service to be effective and encourage other farmers to participate as well. 

This article is available in print in the David Lubin Library's reading room.  Please ask at fao-library-reference@fao.org if you would like to read it.