UK launches new food security strategy
Earlier this week, the UK's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor John Beddington, launched a new science strategy to help improve the security and sustainability of Britain's food system. It quickly disappeared from the news agenda here as the UK ground to a halt in the snow, but at CABI improving food security is one of the…
Come home to a real fire?
While much of the UK is today paralysed by heavy snowfall, I along with many others, have decided not to risk the journey to work and am sitting here writing this post at the dining room table looking out over a garden draped in winter wonderland finery. While driving home last night I listened to…
Copenhagen – a missed opportunity or a turning point?
Now the dust has settled after the "chaotic" COP-15 meeting in Copenhagen last week, the blame game is in full swing with British and Americans accusing China of vetoing an agreement on emissions, and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez deriding the West stating if climate was a bank "they would have saved it." But given that…
Motiviation to give up meat? (and save the planet, maybe)
My colleagues and I have blogged about how eating less meat could reduce one's carbon footprint. But how to motivate people to do this is a problem – people like meat. Here is a reason for men to consider giving up meat – I stumbled over it while searching on Nutrition and Food Sciences Database.…
Can music feed our love of food?
Many people like a little music while they dine, but does music have the potential to improve the meal itself? A delve into the CAB Direct database shows that there have been many studies on the impact of playing music to animals, but little consistency in the results, other than a general negative response to…
Are controls needed for Antarctic tourism?
Photo: IAATO To celebrate a milestone birthday this month, I went to Patagonia and travelled down to the world's southernmost city, Ushuaia. Flying back from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires last Saturday, the plane was largely filled with excited travellers who had come off an Antarctic cruise ship that morning (Ushuaia, which bills itself as the…
A dramatic approach to Cocoa farming
Street/community dramas are often used to try to get a message across to a local audience, but have you ever seen a street drama about pesticide use? Well that’s what they’re doing in Nigeria – a dance/drama approach is being used by the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) to educate farmers about which chemicals…
Dark chocolate this Christmas?
With a complete lack of imagination, at least one person in my family normally receives a chocolate gift from me each Christmas. Should I find myself uninspired again this year, maybe I can convince a recipient of some good quality dark chocolate, that I am also thinking of their heart, improving their brain performance, reducing…
The state of our planet told in ‘Hard Rain’ a film released today to set the scene for the UN climate talks
Each time I check my work email inbox lately, I find it’s inundated with notifications, press releases and invitations to events during the COP15 Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen. One email, which caught my eye and prompted me to share it here, was a press release and invite to the launch of the film‘Hard Rain’…
Grow your own Christmas tree
Have you ever considered trying to grow your own Christmas tree? Or wondered what paper made of reindeer poo would be like…? How about combining the two – a little natural fertlizer perhaps? Well somebody has… The Exotic Paper Company, better known for its Ellie Poo and Rhino Poo papers (made from elephant and rhino…