A sample of Aegilops tauschii, a wild relative of wheat, collected in Afghanistan. It has natural resistance to the Hessian fly, a major pest of cereals worldwide.  Photo: USDA/ARS

Conflicts threaten plant genetic resources

Highest concentration of important wild crop relatives 
is in Syria and Lebanon

Future crop-breeding improvements could be hampered by conflict in the world’s war zones, say researchers from the University of Birmingham in the U.K. Many of today’s most important crops evolved from wild ancestors in the “Fertile Crescent” of the Middle East, arcing around the Arabian desert from Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and ending

Conservation not a hippie delusion

Small-scale farmers can implement conservation agriculture and improve soil health 
in developing areas, often by using a mix of science and local knowledge

The damaging effects of tillage on soils is well documented on Europe and North American soils. So why is that approach still being exported to developing nations, proponents of conservation agriculture asked the recent World Conference on Conservation Agriculture. “We’re taking that paradigm to developing countries, so one has to ask, what is actually going


From upper left: Steve Groff, Jodi DeJong-Hughes, David Montgomery, Amir Kassam.

Conservation agriculture gaining ground

But breaking through 
tradition is difficult

It’s common to rebel against your parents, except it seems, when deciding how best to farm. “Never underestimate tradition,” Jodi DeJong-Hughes told those gathered in Winnipeg for the sixth World Congress on Conservation Agriculture last week. The Minnesota-based extension educator and tillage specialist said there is one thing she hears more often than not when

Louise Bellet.

Role of shelterbelts misunderstood, says French researcher

French researcher argues that cultural value of shelterbelts is overlooked

Keeping shelterbelts on the landscape requires cultural changes, is the conclusion of a recent survey. “We need to redefine shelterbelts. They are not just for windbreaks and soil protection. It’s much more than that,” said Louise Bellet, who shared the results of a survey that looked at public perceptions on the subject at the recent


Beef producers are conservationists

Manitoba’s beef producers are the single largest collection of conservationists in the province. That may sound like a radical statement to some, but it is in fact a reflection of reality. It is also a fact that is increasingly becoming recognized by legislators and policy-makers. When announcing the new legislation to protect ecosystems, Hon. Gord

Manitobans helping North Korean farmers

Manitobans with expertise in zero till and soil health are helping farmers increase productivity in the isolated nation

When it comes to North Korea, agriculture may not be the first thing that pops into people’s minds. But for the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) it’s been front and centre for the last five years. The Winnipeg-based organization has been providing farmers in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with assistance with soil conservation and


Sarah Jaibes is a Zimbabwean farmer practising conservation agriculture. 
Photo: Shannon VanRaes

Conservation agriculture will play a key role in feeding future populations

Conference told that by employing permaculture, cover crops, strategic rotation and reduced tillage, small landowners can generate surpluses and contribute to food security

Sarah Jaibes isn’t a soil scientist, or an international development expert, but she knows a lot about how to make small farms work and what it will take to feed nine billion people by 2050. The Zimbabwean farmer became involved in conservation agriculture in 2009, after rising inflation made it difficult to live on her

New Mexico coyote-hunting contest pits ranchers against wildlife lovers

Reuters / A statewide coyote-hunting contest planned for later this month has caused an uproar in New Mexico, pitting environmentalists against ranchers, as heated words flooded social media networks and thousands signed a petition opposing the hunt as cruel. The furor prompted the Albuquerque gun store owner who originally sponsored the contest to cancel, but


Wyoming wolves to lose Endangered Species Act protection

Grey wolves in Wyoming, the last still federally protected in the northern Rockies, will lose endangered species status at the end of September, opening them to unregulated killing in most of the state, the U.S. government said Aug. 31. The planned delisting of Wyoming’s estimated 350 wolves caps a steady progression of diminishing federal safeguards

The value of natural capital

It’s hard to imagine that just one year ago, many areas of the province still had too much moisture. True, some farmers, such as those along the Assiniboine River downstream of the Shellmouth Dam are still suffering from too much water. But the story for the rest of the province this year is all about