Today on the show, a conversation with Richard Hebda about seed security and seed conservation. Richard is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Victoria and an expert in botany and paleontology, and a curator of botany and earth history at the Royal BC Museum. Richard has published research for decades on many topics, but what’s worth noting here is that much of his research has focused on the impacts of climate change on natural and human-influenced ecosystems.

Richard joined me to talk about a project aimed at preserving and adapting heritage seeds in the context of a changing climate, although mostly we talk about what's going well, and what's lacking, in our collective efforts to slow down the loss of our seed diversity.

You can learn more at heritagepotato.ca, although the URL will soon change to cropclimate.ca

Mentioned in this episode:

The Cover Cropping Field Day Advertised at the Head of this Episode

Head to https://organicbc.org/events/ to register for the field day at Lakeland Farms on October 2nd. Here's a summary: On Friday, October 2nd, join Organic BC and Ecocert at Lakeland Farms in Salmon Arm for a hands-on day exploring cover cropping, soil health, and drought resilience. Tour Lakeland Farms and learn more about their business model and where cover cropping fits in, along with the economics of cover cropping, the tools used to manage hundreds of acres of cover crops, and how they’re integrating cattle grazing into their cover crops. You’ll also hear from agrologist Tanya Brouwers on using cover crops to build soil organic matter, retain moisture, and strengthen farm resilience, and will have the opportunity to take part in simple, practical soil assessments you can use on your own farm. Refreshments and snacks will be generously provided by Askew’s Foods. This event is free and open to anyone interested, but registration is required. Learn more and save your spot at: eventbrite.ca/e/cover-cropping-drought-resilience-soil-assessment-lakeland-farms-tickets-1998671910487 Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) – On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF).