There is still so much to learn about the mysterious realm of soil.

From the microscopic organisms essential to life on Earth, to the complex and wonderful associations between plants and fungi, the ground beneath your feet is teeming with life. Dr Mya-Rose Craig explores soil in this episode of Unearthed: Nature needs us from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Find out how our world’s health is impacted by forces we may not even be able to see, and how this plays out on the scale of crop health, biodiversity in environments and the nutritional wealth of landscapes.

We head to Kew’s world-class fungarium with Professor Irina Druzhinina, and into Wakehurst’s diverse woodlands where conservation research is going on to understand gas exchange between the earth, atmosphere and vegetation. Dr Gary Egan and Dr Phil Wilkes show us around this living laboratory in Sussex.

Mya also hears how conservation of Madagascan grasslands, which are important carbon sinks, goes hand-in-hand with providing value to local communities through livestock grazing. And hear from Dr Feng Cai, whose research into plastic-eating fungi on China’s saltmarshes is powering innovative research into cleaning up this global pollution problem and supporting important habitats.

Then it’s off to FarmED in Oxfordshire where “Rooted” author Sarah Langford meets with fellow farmers Ian Wilkinson and Andy Cato of Wildfarmed (and Clarkson’s Farm) to discuss how modern farming is transitioning to working with soil regeneration and longevity of our environments in mind. But it’s not just about changing hearts and minds, they chat about the social, economic and policy changes that are vital in supporting farmers to save our beloved landscapes.

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.

There is still so much to learn about the mysterious realm of soil.
From the microscopic organisms essential to life on Earth, to the complex and wonderful associations between plants and fungi, the ground beneath your feet is teeming with life. <a href="https://www.birdgirluk.com/">Dr Mya-Rose Craig</a> explores soil in this episode of Unearthed: Nature needs us from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Find out how our world’s health is impacted by forces we may not even be able to see, and how this plays out on the scale of crop health, biodiversity in environments and the nutritional wealth of landscapes.
We head to Kew’s world-class <a href="https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/fungarium">fungarium</a> with Professor <a href="https://twitter.com/FungIrinaD">Irina Druzhinina,</a> and into Wakehurst’s diverse woodlands where conservation research is going on to understand gas exchange between the earth, atmosphere and vegetation. <a href="https://twitter.com/KewScience/status/1709485501474877846">Dr Gary Egan</a> and Dr Phil Wilkes show us around this living laboratory in Sussex.
Mya also hears how conservation of <a href="https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/research-facilities/kew-madagascar-conservation-centre">Madagascan</a> grasslands, which are important carbon sinks, goes hand-in-hand with providing value to local communities through livestock grazing. And hear from <a href="https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2023-11-01/Can-fungi-and-bacteria-eat-away-plastic-pollution--1om3urJPc52/index.html">Dr Feng Cai</a>, whose research into plastic-eating fungi on China’s saltmarshes is powering innovative research into cleaning up this global pollution problem and supporting important habitats.
Then it’s off to <a href="https://www.farm-ed.co.uk/">FarmED</a> in Oxfordshire where “Rooted” author <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahlangfordwrites/?hl=en">Sarah Langford</a> meets with fellow farmers <a href="https://www.instagram.com/realfarmed">Ian Wilkinson</a> and <a href="https://www.wildfarmed.co.uk/pages/about-us">Andy Cato</a> of <a href="https://www.wildfarmed.co.uk/">Wildfarmed</a> (and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@wildfarmed/video/7369921614235831585">Clarkson’s Farm</a>) to discuss how modern farming is transitioning to working with soil regeneration and longevity of our environments in mind. But it’s not just about changing hearts and minds, they chat about the social, economic and policy changes that are vital in supporting farmers to save our beloved landscapes.
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 <a href="https://www.kew.org/">Kew.org</a>.

From the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Unearthed returns — celebrating 25 years of the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst, the most biodiverse place on our planet.

Hosted by Cate Blanchett, Kew’s ambassador for Wakehurst, this series explores the story of the world’s largest wild seed bank — a vault and living laboratory where science and conservation meet. From restoring habitats to protecting biodiversity, these seeds hold the promise of our planet’s future.

This is no distant insurance policy. It’s one we’re already relying on — and one that will only grow in importance as our climate changes and biodiversity is lost.

As the Seed Bank marks its 25th anniversary, Cate discovers how its groundbreaking work is already shaping life on Earth — and why its mission has never mattered more.

You can support the vital work of the Millennium Seed Bank by donating here: www.kew.org/seeds

Instagram: @kewgardens

Facebook: @kewgardens

YouTube: @kewgardens

From the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Unearthed returns &mdash; celebrating 25 years of the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst, the most biodiverse place on our planet.
Hosted by Cate Blanchett, Kew&rsquo;s ambassador for Wakehurst, this series explores the story of the world&rsquo;s largest wild seed bank &mdash; a vault and living laboratory where science and conservation meet. From restoring habitats to protecting biodiversity, these seeds hold the promise of our planet&rsquo;s future.
This is no distant insurance policy. It&rsquo;s one we&rsquo;re already relying on &mdash; and one that will only grow in importance as our climate changes and biodiversity is lost.
As the Seed Bank marks its 25th anniversary, Cate discovers how its groundbreaking work is already shaping life on Earth &mdash; and why its mission has never mattered more.
You can support the vital work of the Millennium Seed Bank by donating here: <a href="https://www.kew.org/seeds">www.kew.org/seeds</a>
Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kewgardens/">@kewgardens</a>
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kewgardens">@kewgardens</a>
YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNa8wJk6VYIRK78JuDSRnTQ">@kewgardens</a>

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