Many of us germinated cress seeds on a bit of wet tissue at primary school, giving us a first introduction to edible microgreens. Recent interest in more diverse ways of…Read More >
crops
How we are raising awareness about the importance of millets for health, heritage and food security
2023 is the International Year of Millets, focusing attention on initiatives by national governments and development organisations to promote this important crop. In this blog, Grady Walker, Co-lead of the…Read More >
Why there are fewer insects on UK farms than there were a century ago – and how to restore them
Insect populations are declining worldwide at a rate of almost 1% per year. This decline is alarming. Insects play a crucial role in pollinating crops, controlling crop pests and maintaining soil…Read More >
The effects of air pollution on pollinators
Declines in pollinator abundance and diversity over the last century are currently considered to have been the result of a range of interacting stressors, such as agricultural intensification and climate…Read More >
Zero Budget Natural Farming: a low-cost farming system that could achieve similar yields to organic and conventional techniques
In response to rising challenges for farmers in India, the Government of Andhra Pradesh a state in southeast India, have been encouraging farmers to adopt Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)…Read More >
Secrets of the perfect seed – and its vulnerability to future climate change
A recent paper by Professor Richard Ellis has got seed scientists talking because it is rewriting the textbooks on when a developing seed reaches peak quality. It also exposes possible…Read More >