The Unearthed: Journeys into the future of food podcast from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is back for a new series.
Hosted by Advolly Richmond, Garden Historian; James Wong, Ethnobotanist and TV presenter and Poppy Okocha, Ecological Food Grower, the six part series will explore why our relationship with food is problematic and offer some solutions.
The podcast explains how the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew go about conserving endangered plant species and researching sustainable alternatives to support biodiversity, lives and livelihoods. It also reveals what it is doing to help enhance agrobiodiversity and reinforcing forest conservation, as well as funding projects which are seeking out plants that provide better nutrition and security for people around the world.
Talking on the series, Advolly Richmond says: “Food systems are failing: We are producing limited numbers of crops that in turn limit our nutrition and are vulnerable to being wiped out altogether. Industrial-scale farming practices have weakened our soils, climate change is ravaging landscapes and traditional livelihoods. Plus, global supply-chains can conceal dark secrets.
Poppy Okocha follows on to say: “Meanwhile, we’re wasting vast amounts of food in some places, whilst in other places people are starving. The way things stand, we’re on track for a future where the world is hungry, the planet is spent and our health and diets fail us.”
James Wong concludes: “In this series, we show how we can use plant science, technology, traditional practices and history to inform and change our behaviour today to change the fate of our food crises – it will reveal how you, your shopping basket, and global science will save the world.”
Episodes one and two of Unearthed: Journeys into the future of food are available from today, 6 October, on all podcast platforms
