Curious Earth talks to Helene Schulze, co-director of London Freedom Seed Bank and a Southeast England Coordinator for the Seed Sovereignty Programme of the UK and Ireland about the practice of saving open pollinated seeds and why it is vital for food security, biodiversity and resilience against climate change. What does seed saving mean to you? Seed saving is about stewardship. It’s…
What’s Going On Here? On Monday October 12, the UK Government voted with a majority of 53 to strip amendment 16 from the Agriculture Bill, which would have safeguarded food standards in trade deals. What Does This Mean? The Agriculture Bill sets out a roadmap for farming after Brexit. It includes the government’s plan to reward farmers for doing “public good” such…
What’s Going On Here? A letter addressed to the International Monetary Fund (the IMF) and other top global financiers, signed by over 100 eco-activists including Jane Goodall and Joanna Lumley, is calling for a halt in investments to industrial-sized agricultural businesses. What Does This Mean? Farming is a major contributing factor to biodiversity loss, climate change and species extinction. Compassion in World Farming who coordinated the…
What’s Going On Here? It’s International Compost Awareness Week, and with so much time on our hands, we’re taking a good old look at the joys of composting and why it’s so important for our planet’s soils! What Does This Mean? Who woulda known that there’s a whole week dedicated to – yep – compost?! International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is an…
What’s Going On Here? Sales of vegetable seeds have shot up during the coronavirus outbreak as people take up home gardening during the lockdown. Last weekend seed sellers across the country were overwhelmed, claiming three weeks’ worth of seeds were purchased in just one day! What Does This Mean? Perhaps this enforced self-isolation has a few silver linings, as individuals begin to cultivate…
What’s Going On Here? In a world-first study released this week, researchers have proven that healthier food choices almost always benefit the environment. What Does This Mean? Professor David Tilman and his pals at the University of Minnesota College weighed up both the health and environmental impacts of 15 different food groups, including nuts, fruits, vegetables, red meat, dairy, eggs, fish, olive oil, legumes…
What’s Going On Here? Supermarket chain, ‘S-Market’ has started a grocery happy hour across their 900 stores in Finland. What Does This Mean? Every evening at 9pm, food that needs to be sold by midnight and would otherwise be thrown away is reduced in cost by a whopping 60%.It’s pretty much like the beloved reduced section of most supermarkets except that S-Market…
What’s Going On Here? Scientists have made a massive break-through in ensuring our crops are resistant to future climate change, isolating the drought resistance gene in barley. What Does This Mean? Scientists have analysed over 39,000 genes within the barley over five years, and their findings show that plants with a certain gene (HvMYB1 to be precise) are more resistant to droughts…
What’s Going On Here? Farmers are at the forefront of climate change. The industry is one of the most susceptible to changes in our climate (temperature, rainfall, extreme weather etc), but also has the potential to shape our societies resilience in the future (see last week’s curious.earth article). In the week where we learn our beloved cauliflower is in short supply due to the extreme June…
