I think this Offshoot episode will make you pause next time you find yourself in front of a colourful wall of seed packets. As with many seemingly simple things, the story of a small seed, can in fact be a lot more fascinating and complicated than it might at first appear.

So take a journey into the history and science of seeds. We'll ponder the Portuguese, spreading pepper seeds around the world and seed banks in St Petersburg, Syria and the Arctic Circle. We'll hear about the skills of Ethiopian farmers.

Adam Alexander, also known as the seed detective and a self confessed vegetable anorak is endlessly curious about seeds and in his new book The Accidental Seed Heroes he is on the trail of the growers who are championing traditional varieties and breeding new ones that will adapt to our changing climate.

What can these seed heroes teach us, as we think about what to grow this April?

.Takeaways:

• The inception of plant breeding can be traced back to our Neolithic ancestors, who began selecting wild relatives for cultivation approximately 12,000 years ago, primarily focusing on cereals.
• Adam Alexander, the author of The Accidental Seed Heroes, emphasises the significance of traditional plant breeding and the critical need to preserve genetic diversity in crops for future food security.
• The podcast highlights the remarkable adaptive capabilities of open-pollinated crops, which are essential for resilience against climate change and environmental fluctuations.
• The discussion reveals the importance of seed banks and living collections, such as the Vavilov Institute, in maintaining genetic diversity and supporting agro-biodiversity.
• Adam Alexander describes his travels to Ethiopia and Albania, where he learned from indigenous farmers who practice sustainable agriculture and maintain a rich diversity of crops.
• The episode sheds light on the necessity of evolving our agricultural practices to ensure food security in the face of climate change, advocating for the cultivation of diverse and adaptive crop varieties.

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