The trade-off between the push for more green energy and the need to grow food can drive division, but future disputes may be diffused if a new way of using photovoltaics on farms is taken up. A team of researchers from University of Greenwich are trialling the use of transparent solar panels on the walls of glasshouses, and also flexible panels on poly tunn ... Show More
Aug 23
23/08/25 Farming Today This Week: early apples, bioethanol industry in trouble, rise in avian flu
The cider apple harvest has started already. Most apples are picked in the autumn and even varieties which ripen early aren’t usually ready yet, and the apple harvest looks likely to buck this year's trend and be good.The Government's decision last week not to offer a rescue pack ... Show More
24m 41s
Aug 22
22/08/25 Bird flu, high-tech lettuce growing, early apples, aftermath of wildfires
Avian flu is on the rise again and this summer increase in cases is being linked with seabirds. New stricter biosecurity rules have been introduced for shoots in England after a number of outbreaks in game birds, and there are also more coastal cases of the disease. Bird flu is u ... Show More
14m 8s
Aug 21
21/08/25 Bird flu and game birds, bluetongue, peat-free salad trials, David Richardson remembered
New rules on game birds are being introduced in England after warnings of a 'heightened risk' of avian flu. The Government says there have been more new cases, particularly in coastal areas and places with a significant number of shoots. English shoots will now have to introduce ... Show More
14m 6s
Jul 2022
Plant based promises, rise of the plant based burger
In Plant Based Promises, foodie, researcher and broadcaster Giles Yeo looks at the science behind plant based diets and the increasing number of plant based products appearing in supermarkets and restaurants. The market for plant based products could be worth $162 billion in the ... Show More
27m 33s
May 2023
How can farmers help to regenerate nature? | Redesigning Food series
What is regenerative production? And how can farmers help address the damaging effects our industrialised food system has on the climate and biodiversity?In this episode, we’ll hear from Philippe Birker, co-founder of Climate Farmers, an organisation working to empower farmers. W ... Show More
19m 20s
Jan 2022
Climate change: A risk to food security?
While agriculture remains one of the biggest contributors to climate change, it is also most exposed to its adverse effects. Scientists say that extreme weather events will become more frequent and more intense as global temperatures continue to rise. In 2021, harsh winters, unse ... Show More
48m 59s
Mar 2023
Exploring the New Environmental Improvement Plan
Defra, the department for Environment, food and Rural affairs, released its latest Environmental Improvement plan this week. Many environmental groups have criticised the plan for having vague commitments, and landowners are asking where the money is going to come from if say far ... Show More
31m 14s
Jan 2023
Why are we still subsidising fossil fuels?
In 2009, the G20 countries pledged to phase out 'inefficient' fossil fuel subsidies, which have long been seen as an obstacle to fighting climate change. But today, subsidies for oil and gas producers are at record levels -- $64 billion in 2021. It’s not just to do with the war i ... Show More
27 m