Unearthed - The need for seeds, with Cate Blanchett

Nature needs us! In series 3 of Unearthed, Dr Mya-Rose Craig begins the journey into what biodiversity loss means and why it matters to protect what we have left. We find out what might happen if we continue to ignore the impacts of climate change and habitat destruction in terms of its impacts on our lives, along with future life on the planet. We also explore how human action has brought us to the current dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. But there is still plenty of hope that we can slow down or halt these destructive processes thanks to scientific research and action across different levels of society. Kew’s Steven Bachman shares insights into the technology helping us map and prioritise conservation research and work across the planet and Dr Isabel Larridon explains how data from Kew’s State of the World’s Plants and Fungi report is the wake-up call we need. We hear from participants in the Global Biodiversity Standard: the world’s first international certification recognising and promoting the protection, restoration and enhancement of biodiversity. And we travel to Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, to follow researches on a ‘bioblitz’ to identify species. Then Sonia Dhanda explains how ‘wildlife trade policy’ is an important part of balancing how we utilise and conserve species around the world and across borders. Dominique Palmer is joined by guests Sophie Pavelle and Camila Duarte Ritter to discuss what it means to ‘act now’ and why a combined effort from governments to scientists, community organisations and individuals is necessary to create positive, systemic change for nature. Subscribe to this podcast to catch up on earlier episodes of Unearthed and enjoy a new episode every fortnight. You can find out more about Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and support their cutting-edge conservation research and training at Kew.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To round off this series, we’re heading into our own kitchens and examining how our food choices can make for better health and a better world. Advolly Richmond is joined by plant scientists and top chefs to ask how the food industry can help challenge inequality and imbalances in our food systems, and how we can all make a difference, starting in our own kitchens. Plant medicine expert Dr Melanie Jayne Howes explains how the chemicals in some plant foods have long served to ease ailments and improve health, and how we can look to the wild as a living medicine cabinet. And Dr Megan Rossi, the Gut Health Doctor, unveils the incredible power of plants to support our gut microbiome, which we’re only just starting to realise can play a big part in great mental health. And the good news is that she doesn’t believe in cutting out the foods you love – just add plants! When it comes to global and national food trends and fashions, our restaurants and industry leaders have a big responsibility and influence. That's why we wanted to talk to some top chefs for their perspectives. Chef Tom Hunt is author of “Eating for Pleasure, People and Planet” and an advocate for growing whatever you can to help connect with the origins of food – even if all you have is a windowsill. He explains how beans and pulses can improve your carbon footprint and discusses a future where we can prioritise both people and the environment in our food systems. Chantelle Nicholson owns Apricity restaurant in London. She shares her ethos for using regenerative food and embracing a circular economy all the way through to the supply chain of what goes on diner’s plates. Founder of West African Food Brand Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, Zoe Adjonyoh shares her story of starting an ethical food business. From its roots cooking her Dad’s Ghanaian dishes, she tracks the story of supper clubs to sustainable and decolonised food, whilst educating people from outside food communities to embrace and enjoy world food and flavours. And low-waste, planted-based chef Max La Manna invites us into his kitchen to hear about the 5 most wasted foods in the UK, and how you can turn them into some delicious, easy recipes! You can find out more about how Kew Science is helping to protect global food security by visiting kew.org. Inspired by this series? Get involved online with #KewUnearthed @kewgardens on Twitter @kewgardens on Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With so many of our favourite foods facing extinction, including bananas, chocolate and coffee, what will be on our kitchen tables in the future? In this episode, James Wong looks at what actions we need to take today, to secure nutritious and disease-resilient food in the future. Hear from artists and designers Sharp and Sour on how they create installations to shock the public into the realities of food’s future plight. Dr Carly Cowell explains how it’s not just the varieties of foods we eat that are dwindling, but their nutritional content too, and warns of the impact this can have upon our health and wellbeing. We head to Wakehurst in Sussex to find out how scientists are exploring the adaptabilities of different kinds of banana, before Jack Plummer explains the plight of our beloved yellow friend in the Palm House back at Kew in London. And in Wakehurst’s Bethlehem Wood, two scientists explore a very exciting art installation: Flea and Folly Architect’s The False Banana Pavilion which looks at Enset: a well-known staple in parts of Ethiopia that could help challenge world hunger and provide a varied and nutritious solution in difficult climate conditions. Dr James Borrell and Dr Wenawek Abede explore this work in response to their research, and explain why diversity and variety are just so important in feeding the world. Did you know that fire may be a man-made problem in many cases, but in others, it’s a vital part of the natural development of ecosystems? Dr Ellie Wilding looks at how plants develop remarkable survival techniques in the face of this ever-increasing global phenomenon. And from the cloud-forests of Colombia, all the way to Edible Science: Kew’s Kitchen Garden, James Wong finds out how unique ecosystems and practices can teach us all how to farm, grow and eat more sustainably. Botanical Horticulturist and plot pioneer Helena Dove also has some tips for any home growers looking for inspiration from around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Advolly Richmond is exploring how food production methods and climate change today are exacerbating issues of biodiversity loss. As conditions change and human activity intervenes with environments, entire ecosystems are thrown out of balance, and the consequences for species are dire. We could be losing plants and species science hasn’t even named, all due to harmful agricultural practises and accelerating climate change. But Kew scientists and partners around the world are working to conserve species before it’s too late, by seeking out their wild relatives that have properties that can withstand the conditions of the future. We travel from the mountains of Sierra Leone to track down a rare but resilient wild coffee variety, to deep underground in rural Sussex, where Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank is conserving the world’s seeds for future science at Wakehurst. Dr Elinor Breman gives us a tour of this biodiverse bunker, and her colleague Dr Aisyah Faruk explains her work tracking down wild relatives of fruit and nut species in Georgia and Armenia. But it’s not just about finding alternative crops, as food journalist Dan Saladino explains: crop monocultures are leaving foods and ecosystems vulnerable to pests and disease. Meanwhile Dr Caspar Chater is in Edible Science: Kew’s Kitchen Garden, ready to explain how a more diverse approach to what we eat can help save the world, and Professor Phil Stevenson tells us about his work with pollinators, the critical species that make so much of food production possible.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The food we eat connects us to the wider world; to global history, cultures and traditions. But the practises we’ve ended up with today mean that our systems are failing and many of our favourite foods and farming practises are heading towards extinction. In this first episode, Advolly Richmond explores the history of our relationship with food and how it’s led us to harmful modern-day production practices. She meets up with actor Ajay Chhabra and Kew’s Director of Science Professor Alexandre Antonelli for a frank discussion in the Palm House. Author and food journalist Dan Saladino and Dr Caroline Cornish delve into the past and look at how contemporary consumption is starving our planet and contributing to global imbalances as well as environment-wrecking levels of waste and emissions. Sounds worrying? That’s just the beginning of your journey into the future of food, because we’re about to meet the scientists, artists, thinkers and chefs who are working to make sure that our grandchildren can enjoy healthy, sustainable diets that are better for people and the environment. The future is in all of our hands. Will you join us?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dirt on our hands: Overcoming botany’s hidden legacy of inequality  In this special episode of Unearthed, professional plant geek, author, and broadcaster James Wong explores the histories of inequality and personal experiences that lie behind a seemingly democratic and wholesome world of plants.  From the colonial history of plant collections and our perceptions of what form a ‘traditional’ garden should take, to accessing education, careers, and green spaces themselves, our relationship with nature is not without its barriers, some of which are still to be overcome. Joined by a panel of contributors, James debates what could be done to make the garden, and all that comes with it, open to all. Historians, practitioners, plant scientists and horticulturalists share their observations and knowledge on how the past and present are complicated by racial inequality, legacy of empire and an exploitation of land and people. In turn, RBG Kew is committed to revealing and restoring a story that has not often been told, and making its spaces more welcoming and reflective for the communities that are represented in the collections.   This episode features:  Advolly Richmond – a garden landscape and social historian and BBC Gardener’s World presenter.  Richard Choksey – a graduate of Kew’s diploma in botanical horticulture and landscape gardener who is currently studying for a Masters in global history.  Renee Cawthorne – Manager of First Nations Education and Engagement at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney.  Kew botanist Sophie Richards leads an open conversation with Kew’s Director Richard Deverell on the path ahead.   And Tayshan Hayden-Smith tells James how his community gardening initiative created a vital place for connection in a West London housing estate, in the wake of Grenfell.   LINKS OF INTEREST: Grow2Know is empowering more diverse communities through horticulture http://www.grow2know.org.uk Royal Botanic Garden Sydney https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au Richard Choksey https://richardchoksey.wixsite.com/variationsoneden Advolly Richmond https://advolly.co.uk Find out more about the work Kew is doing at https://www.kew.org  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 years ago, 15 year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse lost her life to a severe sesame allergy. In this episode, James Wong speaks to Natasha’s parents Tania and Nadim, who worked with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to confirm the plant substance that caused their daughter’s death and on their fight to change the law. We hear from the experts: Professor Monique Simmonds OBE explains how Kew was able to help, and Professor Richard Ellis from the University of Reading discusses the risks and safety protocols behind our plant-based foods. Subscribe to Unearthed: Mysteries from an unseen world on your podcast app to get a new episode each fortnight. You can follow the work of the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation at www.NARF.org.uk And you can share the show or join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #KewUnearthed. Follow @kewgardens for more insights into the magical, mysterious world of plants and fungi. www.kew.orgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deep in some of the world’s most hard-to-reach places lies a wealth of plant knowledge that could offer the next life-saving cure. In this episode, James Wong explores how Kew scientists works alongside remote communities on the ground to understand plants’ medicinal properties. And there’s a history lesson in it too, as James learns of the enormous impact that humble quinine, (found in your G&T), had throughout colonialism through to the world wars.   What is yet to be discovered? And what do we stand to lose if we do not protect and respect world ecosystems? Subscribe to Unearthed: Mysteries from an unseen world on your podcast app to get a new episode each fortnight. And you can share the show or join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #KewUnearthed. Follow @kewgardens for more insights into the magical, mysterious world of plants and fungi. www.kew.orgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.