The story of wheat begins 10,000 years ago and becomes the tale of the biggest crop on the planet. Wheat covers more of the earth than any other crop and is a leading source of vegetable protein for all of us, wherever we are in the world.

From early origins in the ‘Fertile Crescent’ which is modern day Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan where three simple grasses came together to become one species, the crop has become synonymous with bread, pastries, pizzas, pasta, noodles, biscuits and cookies, pies, cereals, muffins. The list is virtually endless.

So how do scientists ensure that farmers can grow enough of the crop to feed an ever-growing population of hungry mouths, in the face of challenging climatic conditions? In this episode of The Science Behind Your Salad we explore the world of hybrid wheat: the breeding of a crop that will provide resilience for the coming decades.

The story of wheat begins 10,000 years ago and becomes the tale of the biggest crop on the planet. Wheat covers more of the earth than any other crop and is a leading source of vegetable protein for all of us, wherever we are in the world.
From early origins in the &lsquo;Fertile Crescent&rsquo; which is modern day Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan where three simple grasses came together to become one species, the crop has become synonymous with bread, pastries, pizzas, pasta, noodles, biscuits and cookies, pies, cereals, muffins. The list is virtually endless.
So how do scientists ensure that farmers can grow enough of the crop to feed an ever-growing population of hungry mouths, in the face of challenging climatic conditions? In this episode of The Science Behind Your Salad we explore the world of hybrid wheat: the breeding of a crop that will provide resilience for the coming decades.

The Science Behind Your Salad shines a spotlight on the innovation, technology, digital and sustainability for healthy food made by BASF in Agriculture.

The Science Behind Your Salad shines a spotlight on the innovation, technology, digital and sustainability for healthy food made by BASF in Agriculture.

The Science Behind Your Salad

Wheat Part One

This episode of The Science Behind Your Salad from BASF visits Spain, Portugal and Egypt in a quest to discover how olive crops will be affected by climate change.
 
Jane Craigie meets the farmers busily harvesting their crops, ready to take them off to the mill to be pressed into delicious golden olive oil.
 
The main focus of the olive growing industry encircles the Mediterranean. Olives favour warm conditions, but in some areas the climate is warming. Arid regions of Andalusia are becoming drier, and so farmers rely more and more on irrigation.
 
Jane meets farmers working hard to ensure their water goes a long way and they get the best from the scarce supply. She also meets farmers reinvigorating the olive industry in Egypt, with the help of modern farming methods and crop treatments, plus in Portugal she learns how the circularity of the farming operation, ensuring nothing is wasted, is becoming normal practice.
 
Meanwhile she talks to Johnny Madge, internationally known olive oil expert to find out what the future holds for a crop that faces challenges from a volatile climate.

This episode of The Science Behind Your Salad from BASF visits Spain, Portugal and Egypt in a quest to discover how olive crops will be affected by climate change. &nbsp; Jane Craigie meets the farmers busily harvesting their crops, ready to take them off to the mill to be pressed into delicious golden olive oil. &nbsp; The main focus of the olive growing industry encircles the Mediterranean. Olives favour warm conditions, but in some areas the climate is warming. Arid regions of Andalusia are becoming drier, and so farmers rely more and more on irrigation. &nbsp; Jane meets farmers working hard to ensure their water goes a long way and they get the best from the scarce supply. She also meets farmers reinvigorating the olive industry in Egypt, with the help of modern farming methods and crop treatments, plus in Portugal she learns how the circularity of the farming operation, ensuring nothing is wasted, is becoming normal practice. &nbsp; Meanwhile she talks to Johnny Madge, internationally known olive oil expert to find out what the future holds for a crop that faces challenges from a volatile climate.

The Impact of Climate Change on Olives

Our volatile climate will impact the way we cook and the way we eat. And so, farming needs to adapt, eating needs to adapt, and how we cook, will also need to adapt.

In this episode of the Science Behind Your Salad, Jane Craigie explores the world of carbon farming: how can we grow better? How can we eat better? How can we feed ourselves with the climate in mind?

For chef and best-selling author Alejandra Schrader, that’s simple! A little more thought and a little more planning can enable us to eat delicious, healthy food that has delivers all the required nutrients we need, and reduces our impact on the planet.

As BASF’s Marko Grozdanovic states, agriculture is responsible for 17% of greenhouse gas emissions, and so this episode explores ways to dramatically reduce this figure.

Jane attended the Carbon Exchange event in Paris to find out more: Andy Beadle is a soil scientist who studies the way carbon can be locked up in the soil to maintain soil health, cut emissions and improve biodiversity; Robert Racz works on the Better Pork project that looks at ways to cut emissions in the pig industry, not just at source, but at all levels of the supply chain, with all links in the industry playing their part ; Thierry Laval runs the FoodPilot initiative that relies on data to focus on the problem. Data is vital to crack the challenges farmers face and with everyone working together to move the industry in the right direction there is plenty of optimism that farming can play it’s role in providing us all the food we need to be able to cook delicious and healthy food for the future whilst also ensuring what we eat is sustainable.

Our volatile climate will impact the way we cook and the way we eat. And so, farming needs to adapt, eating needs to adapt, and how we cook, will also need to adapt.   In this episode of the Science Behind Your Salad, Jane Craigie explores the world of carbon farming: how can we grow better? How can we eat better? How can we feed ourselves with the climate in mind?   For chef and best-selling author Alejandra Schrader, that’s simple! A little more thought and a little more planning can enable us to eat delicious, healthy food that has delivers all the required nutrients we need, and reduces our impact on the planet.   As BASF’s Marko Grozdanovic states, agriculture is responsible for 17% of greenhouse gas emissions, and so this episode explores ways to dramatically reduce this figure.   Jane attended the Carbon Exchange event in Paris to find out more: Andy Beadle is a soil scientist who studies the way carbon can be locked up in the soil to maintain soil health, cut emissions and improve biodiversity; Robert Racz works on the Better Pork project that looks at ways to cut emissions in the pig industry, not just at source, but at all levels of the supply chain, with all links in the industry playing their part ; Thierry Laval runs the FoodPilot initiative that relies on data to focus on the problem. Data is vital to crack the challenges farmers face and with everyone working together to move the industry in the right direction there is plenty of optimism that farming can play it’s role in providing us all the food we need to be able to cook delicious and healthy food for the future whilst also ensuring what we eat is sustainable.

Carbon conscious cooking for the future

Whether we’re buying a punnet of fruit, a freshly made burrito or a can of tomatoes, we take it for granted that the food is safe and free of any biological or chemical contamination.

There are a host of food laws, regulatory bodies and food inspection schemes, as well as guidance on food preparation in our homes, to make sure that our food is safe.

In this episode of the Science Behind your Salad, Jane meets Professor Louise Manning, a food system and safety researcher, Eric Kimunguyi, from AAK Grow in Kenya and Andrew Stirling, a potato farmer and processor from Angus in Scotland to understand the different aspects of food safety around the globe.

Whether we’re buying a punnet of fruit, a freshly made burrito or a can of tomatoes, we take it for granted that the food is safe and free of any biological or chemical contamination.
There are a host of food laws, regulatory bodies and food inspection schemes, as well as guidance on food preparation in our homes, to make sure that our food is safe.
In this episode of the Science Behind your Salad, Jane meets Professor Louise Manning, a food system and safety researcher, Eric Kimunguyi, from AAK Grow in Kenya and Andrew Stirling, a potato farmer and processor from Angus in Scotland to understand the different aspects of food safety around the globe.

Wheat Part One

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