The way we produce and consume food is having a devastating impact on our natural world.
So, how can we avoid disaster, and feed the world well?
Kew's podcast, Unearthed: Journeys into the future of food, explores our relationship with food: what are we eating? What is it doing to our health and the health of the planet? And how are livelihoods and agriculture changing before our eyes?
Take a journey around the world: from farming practises, biodiversity loss, and climate resilient crops, all the way to our own shopping baskets and kitchens.
James Wong, Advolly Richmond and Poppy Okocha bring you insights, ideas and inspirational actions from artists, thinkers, chefs and plant scientists who are all helping to secure healthy, sustainable diets for the future of our people and planet.
Inspired by this series? Join the conversation using #KewUnearthed
Subscribe to our channel on Spotify, Apple or other platforms to get the latest episode as it drops.
Episode 1: We have a problem
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The food we eat connects us to the wider world; to global history, cultures and traditions. But the practises we’ve ended up with today mean that our systems are failing and many of our favourite foods and farming practises are heading towards extinction.
In this first episode, we explore the history of our relationship with food and how it’s led to harmful modern-day production and consumption practices.
Episode 2: Supermarkets, supply and waste
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Episode two unearths what you can do at home, versus what big business and supermarket giants are doing to make sure our food choices are transparent and production is fair and sustainable.
Discover how a foodie revolution is happening on our local streets and doorsteps to reduce food waste and emissions. And head into one of Kew's kitchens to find out about an exciting plant-based and low-waste menu on offer.
Episode 3: The Red List: Biodiversity loss and food
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Food production methods and climate change today are exacerbating issues of biodiversity loss. But Kew scientists and partners around the world are working to conserve species before it’s too late.
In episode three, we travel from the mountains of Sierra Leone to track down a rare but resilient wild coffee variety, to deep underground in our Millennium Seed Bank where we're protecting the seeds of our crops for future science.
Episode 4: Agriculture and livelihoods
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This time, we're looking at our relationship with growing and producing foods around the world.
Hear how one coffee brand is protecting producers and delicate environments in Ethiopia; Kew's work in Madagascar is supporting local livelihoods; and one family who lost their farm in Chile to forest fires are now championing a regenerative farming approach.
Episode 5: Foods of the future
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With so many of our favourite foods facing extinction, including bananas, chocolate and coffee, what will be on our kitchen tables in the future?
This episode looks at what actions we need to take today, to secure nutritious and disease-resilient food in the future. And includes some top tips for any home growers looking for inspiration from around the world.
Episode 6: How should we be growing food?
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In our penultimate episode, we bring it back to our relationship with growing and producing food. How do we mend the problems in that relationship and still make sure we have plenty of healthy, affordable and sustainable food for everyone?
*BONUS* Episode 7: Food, health and wellbeing in daily life
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In our final episode of the series, we look at how our medicines and health connect with what we eat and how we can transform our own dining and cooking habits for a more sustainable planet.
Want more?
Listen to Kew's debut series, Unearthed: Mysteries from an unseen world, to discover the roles plants and fungi play in thrilling, sinister and heart-breaking real-life stories.
Read & watch
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17 November 2022
Watch: What will you be eating in 2050?
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10 June 2022
5 ways Kew is protecting food from extinction
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22 May 2019
Why preserving biodiversity will protect the food on your plate
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30 May 2022
Milpas in Mexico: maintaining an ancient farming system
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18 August 2022
Back to the future: The Green Revolution
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14 July 2022
How to eat to save the world