ISDSI » staff

ISDSI Involved in Village Seed Saving Research

kristin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 12:17:13 +0000

Ajaan Abram Bicksler (current Food Systems and Rivers professor at ISDSI) and Ajaan Laura Meitzner Yoder (past Forests professor) recently completed a publication entitled “Strengthening Indigenous Informal Seed Systems in Southeast Asia.” The research, which was completed over the past year with colleagues from Pennsylvania State University (USA), the ECHO Asia Impact Center (Chiang Mai), and MaeJo University (Thailand), and funded by the USAID HORT CRSP program, combines original participatory social science and natural science research in an effort to identify indigenous vegetable crops, seed saving methodology, and seed pathways. Some of the research took place in the villages where ISDSI students spend time during their Sustainable Food Systems course. This finished work is available here as a PDF and summarizes the findings of the study and gives practical advice about how indigenous seed systems can be strengthened, with the hope that cultural and biodiversity will be maintained and smallholder farmer sustainability will be improved.

Sorghum seeds drying in the sun near a traditional home in Baan Dang Nauk, one of the villages our students visit during their Sustainable Food Systems course.

New arrival at ISDSI!!

mark — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 02:59:31 +0000

Pu Pu (our Administrative Coordinator) has a new baby girl!

Nong Kim was born December 28 at 12:13 PM and weighed 2.8 kg (6.3 lbs). She joins her brother, Nong Que, who is a year and a half old, and still trying to figure out where the baby in mommy’s tummy went.

Pi Pu and baby Kim!

CFCNX!

mark — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:46:57 +0000

New things are happening at ISDSI.

Good things!

Check it out here.

The newest additions to ISDSI…

mark — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:06:50 +0000

This year was a busy one for ISDSI, with three brand new additions joining the other kids at ISDSI — Nong Ellie, Nong Que and Nong Mai — all born in 2009!

Ajaan Wilasanee (Kru Ning), who teaches and Thai for ISDSI as well as coordinates host family placements had a baby girl, Nong Mai, on May 25th. Pi Pu, who runs the office, Thai staff and also works with Wilasanee on homestays ALSO had a baby, on June 22 — Nong Que. Since BOTH of the host families coordinators were pregnant during the spring semester, it was an interesting time to juggle homestays — AND they were able to set up all the fall semester homestays before going on maternity leave. Good timing!

Last but not least to join us was Nong Ellie, born on August 19th to Pi Becca, who is a city and regional planner here with Abram, a post-doc at ISDSI.

The kids are getting big fast, so we decided to get them together for some photos. Thanks to Pi Ben for taking the time to photograph the babies — a bit of change from his usual photos of sea kayaking, rock climbing and the cultures of Southeast Asia!

Ellie and Becca

Mai and Ning

Que and Pu

The three moms and babies!

Gettings babies to pose isn't easy!

Que's done. Time to go take a nap...

Pui in Alaska

mark — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:21:17 +0000

I just got back from the NOLS Outdoor Educator Backpacking/Sea Kayaking course in Alaska! It was amazing.

Everything was so natural and beautiful. True wilderness. We saw whales, including an orca that came right up to our kayaks, sea otters every day, sea lions, and fished and ate salmon! We camped next to a glacier and could hear the icebergs calving off. During the backpack section we camped on snow (my first time!).

There were so many mosquitoes they flew into our mouths. More mosquitoes than we have in Thailand!

I learned about how to pack my backpack well, good hiking technique, Leave No Trace, bomb proof camping, sea kayaking skills, navigation, and lots of other things. It was amazing to go to the other side of the world and see things I’ve never seen before!

AND the water was a LOT colder than here in Thailand where I usually sea kayak!!

-Pui