Members discuss the role of soil in UK food production

December 2, 2011

Prof. Jane Rickson, Cranfield Uviversity, discusses the role of soil in UK food production on Radio 4s Farming Today.

Listen again at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017vbbh#synopsis

Presenter Charlotte Smith discovers some of the hidden complexities of the soil and finds out how growing food can put it under pressure, at the National Soil Resources Institute in Bedfordshire. Professor Jane Rickson, from the Institute, discusses how tilling soils can lead to erosion and compaction, and we hear how some farmers are moving away from traditional ploughing to avoid these problems. Professor Rickson also explains that the Institute is searching for new fertilisers to replace those made using finite resources like minerals and natural gas. And, she reveals why she gets excited about earthworms.