{"id":13782,"date":"2010-11-27T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2010-11-27T08:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.deinayurveda.net\/wordpress\/?p=13782"},"modified":"2010-11-30T13:35:34","modified_gmt":"2010-11-30T12:35:34","slug":"13782","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.deinayurveda.net\/wordpress\/2010\/11\/13782\/","title":{"rendered":"Traditional Food, Medicine & Biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span>\"Svetlana<\/p>\n

www.cbd.int<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

www.vaviblog.com<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

www.slowfood.com<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov<\/strong> (<\/strong><\/span>Russian<\/span><\/strong>: <\/strong>\u041d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430\u0439 \u0418\u0432\u0430\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0447 \u0412\u0430\u0432\u0438\u043b\u043e\u0432<\/strong>)\u00a0 was a prominent Russian and <\/strong><\/span>Soviet<\/span><\/strong> botanist and <\/span><\/strong>geneticist<\/span><\/strong> best known for having identified the centres of origin of cultivated plants. He devoted his life to the study and improvement of <\/span><\/strong>wheat<\/span><\/strong>, <\/span><\/strong>corn<\/span><\/strong>, and other cereal crops that sustain the global population. While developing his theory on the centres of origin of cultivated plants, Vavilov organized a series of botanical-agronomic expeditions, collected seeds from every corner of the globe, and created in <\/span><\/strong>Leningrad<\/span><\/strong> the world\u2019s largest collection of plant seeds. Read More: > HERE <<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty<\/span><\/strong>. The Convention has three main goals: 1. conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity);2. sustainable use of its components; and 3. fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. In other words, its objective is to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. It is often seen as the key document regarding sustainable development. Read More:<\/span><\/strong><\/span> >HERE<<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Ensuring that the genetic diversity of the world\u2019s food crops is preserved for future generations is an important contribution toward the reduction of hunger and poverty in developing countries. This is where the greatest plant diversity originates and where the need for food security and the further development of agriculture is most urgent.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About VIR: \u201c<\/strong>The scientific network of VIR includes the institute\u2019s headquarters with 9 plant resources departments, 13 fundamental research laboratories, and 12 experiment stations in different geographic zones of Russia. Its chief activities are Plant Genetics Resources (PGR) collections, conservation and study.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This recent news item was originally reported on Science Magazine\u2019s Science Insider<\/em> news feed. Earlier reportage on this story came from The Scientist<\/em> blog. Top Photo:\u00a0Alaska wild \u201cberries\u201d from the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge;\u00a0U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee (public domain). Bottom Photo: VIR, Pavlosk Exp. Station <\/span><\/span>http:\/\/www.greendump.net<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Last week, we described the plight of the Russian Pavlovsk Experimental Station: Plans for a housing complex threaten some 5,000 rare plants, including varieties found nowhere else on the planet. A court judgment last week meant that only the president or prime minister could save the plants, which scientists said would take years to relocate. Now government telegrams and a presidential tweet hint that the plants might have a chance. <\/span><\/span>http:\/\/blogs.discovermagazine.com<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Russia Defers Razing of Seed Repository<\/strong> \u2013 modest reprieve for a seed bank that is home to the world\u2019s largest collection of European fruits and berries. <\/span><\/span>http:\/\/green.blogs.nytimes.com<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The Vavilov Institute in Russia is the oldest seed bank in the world with a collection of over 325,000 samples of seed. Video from The Vavilov Institute from The Seed Hunter on National Geographic Channel <\/span><\/span>http:\/\/natgeotv.com<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

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Vavilov Institut Alblinse, Russian Housing Plan Threatens Seed Bank <\/span><\/p>\n

The Institute of Plant Industry <\/span><\/strong>http<\/span>:\/\/www.vir.nw.ru\/<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/a> was established in 1921. Nikolai Vavilov was the head of this institute from 1924 to 1936 and had, and still has, the world\u2019s largest collection of plant seeds. During the early 1930s, he became the target of the Lysenkoist debate and was exiled. In 2010 the plant collection at the Pavlovsk Experimental Station was to be destroyed to make way for luxury housing<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

IRRI<\/strong> http<\/span>:\/\/irri.org<\/span><\/em><\/a> <\/span> <\/span>Rice Research is a nonprofit research and education center established to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure environmental sustainability<\/span><\/p>\n

Navdanya<\/strong> <\/span>http:\/\/www.navdanya.org<\/em><\/span><\/a> is a network of seed keepers and organic producers spread across 16 states in India.Navdanya has helped set up 54 community seed banks across the country, trained over 500,000 farmers in seed sovereignty, food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture over the past two decades, and helped setup the largest direct marketing, fair trade organic network in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

ARCHE NOAH: <\/strong>http:\/\/www.arche-noah.at<\/em><\/span><\/a> Wir sehen unsere Arbeit als Antwort auf die restriktive globale Saatgutpolitik. Die Vielfalt an Kulturpflanzen ist Lebensgrundlage für kommenden Generationen. Und Lebensqualität für uns alle ! Wir sind ein Verein, der sich seit fast 20 Jahren für den Erhalt alter Kulturpflanzen einsetzt, mit über 8.000 Mitgliedern, Förderern und aktiven ErhalterInnen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Svalbard Global Seed Vault<\/strong> \u2013 Cultural plants for the future. <\/span>http:\/\/<\/span>www.regjeringen.no<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/a> Since the climate conditions change so rapidly, it is extremely important to ensure the genetic diversity of all the cultural plants of the world. In these genes, we will find the necessary qualities to make effective cultural plants in the future. This is absolutely necessary to secure a satisfactory food supply for the global population. Within the next 40 years, the world\u2019s food production must be doubled, says the Norwegian minister of agriculture and food, Lars Peder Brekk.<\/span><\/p>\n

Was wären die Schwaben ohne ihre Linsen?<\/strong> Trotzdem stellten Ende der 50er Jahre die letzten Landwirte \u201cauf der Alb\u201d den Anbau von Linsen ein, da die Importe zu billig waren und den Verbrauchern egal war, woher ihre Linsen kamen. Im Pflanzenbau herrschte damals der Zeitgeist \u201chöher, schneller und immer mehr\u201d. Hauptsache, der Ertrag von Weizen, Mais und Kartoffeln stieg. Egal, wie viel \u201cChemie\u201d dazu auf den Acker kam. Diese Ideologie war den hiesigen Bio-Bauern schon immer ein Dorn im Auge.<\/span><\/p>\n

Außerdem vermissten sie ihre Heimatfrucht aus der Kindheit: \u201cDie alten Bauern bei uns in der Gegend haben uns erzählt, wie sie noch Linsen angebaut haben, zusammen mit Gerste <\/span><\/span>( GERSTE IM AYURVEDA ) <\/span><\/span><\/a>und<\/span> Hafer, als Stützfrucht für die zarten Pflanzen. Beim Linsen essen haben wir davon geträumt, wieder Alb-Linsen auszusäen\u201d, erinnert sich Woldemar Mammel. Der Bioland-Bauer aus Lauterach auf der Alb baut bereits seit den 80er Jahren wieder Linsen an und begeisterte auch andere für seine Idee. Mittlerweile machen elf Bäuerinnen und Bauern in der \u201cÖko-Erzeugergemeinschaft \u00abAlb-Leisa\u00bb\u201d mit und bewirtschaften 30 Hektar mit Albleisen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unterstützung bekommen sie von anderen Verfechtern guter Esskultur: Vor zwei Jahren hat Slow Food Deutschland<\/strong> die Alb-Linse in die \u201cArche des Geschmacks\u201d aufgenommen, um dieses traditionelle landwirtschaftliche Erzeugnis der Schwäbischen Alb vor dem Vergessen zu retten. Die Sache hat nur einen Haken: Die original schwäbischen Alb-Linsen waren bis vor kurzem unauffindbar und so mussten sich die Bio-Bauern mit französischen und italienischen Sorten behelfen. \u201cNiemand hatte es für nötig gehalten, diese einzigartigen, im Bundessortenregister eingetragenen Linsensorten aufzubewahren\u201d, beklagt Mammel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doch die verschollenen Linsen berührten auch andere schwäbische Herzen: 2006 machten sich unabhängig voneinander der private Pflanzenzüchter Klaus Lang und Klaus Amler von der Stuttgarter Agentur Ökonsult auf die Suche. Beide werden ein Jahr später in Russland fündig! Das Wawilow-Institut in St. Petersburg<\/strong>, das seit 1925 für die Genvielfalt der Nutzpflanzen kämpft, hat die zwei Sorten aufbewahrt.<\/span><\/p>\n

RICE:<\/strong> Rice is first mentioned in the Yajur Veda<\/strong> (c. 1500-800 BC) and then is frequently referred to in Sanskrit<\/strong> texts. Today, the majority of all rice produced comes from India, China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, and Bangladesh.<\/span><\/p>\n

Asian<\/strong> farmers<\/strong> still account for 92-percent of the world\u2019s total rice production. Rice is grown in all parts of India. Genetics shows that rice was first domesticated in the region of the Yangtze River Valley. Read More:<\/span><\/strong><\/span> > HERE <<\/strong> <\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n