Sowing solutions: growing Indigenous crops for a changing climate
With rising temperatures and shifting climates imperilling our crops, the food chain – from planting to consumer – is under threat. This could lead to higher food prices, poor nutrition, hunger and migration. Alisha is in conversation with Professor Ruth Defries, a global expert in ecology and sustainable development, to discuss how the world has become reliant on a small number of crops such as corn and rice, leaving us in a vulnerable position if these staples do not grow well as the planet heats. So how can we encourage climate resilience through crop diversity? They hear from a multi-country research project which is exploring whether indigenous crops could hold the key to creating more sustainable food systems, and meet a South African farmer who is helping keep these old growing traditions alive.