IAEA helps food task force, provides mutant banana strains (no, really)
I shouldn’t laugh, as clearly it behoves all right-thinking people to applaud examples of UN agencies ‘delivering as one’ wherever we may find them.
But still, perhaps one may be permitted a small chuckle of surprised delight upon receiving a press release from a UN agency proclaiming its assistance to the UN’s food task force – when the agency in question is the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Apparently the IAEA has helped 24 African countries to eradicate the deadly cattle disease rinderpest. Alas, details of how this has been achieved were not provided. But there is much enjoyment to be had in speculating.
IAEA have also provided this photo with their press release, which shows Dr. Chiklu Mba, the head of IAEA’s Plant Breeding Unit. Rather fabulously, the caption explains that he is “examining mutant banana samples”.
Join us here again at the same time next week, when the World Food Programme will be with us to set out their ambitious plan for making a success of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in 2010.