Teagasc scientists to feature in tonight's 10 Things to Know About...on RTÉ One

This episode explores the challenges of growing food in Ireland amidst extreme weather and global instability. From late-planted crops to the war in Ukraine, recent years have underlined our dependence on imports and highlighted the vulnerabilities in our food system. To tackle this, we dig into history and archaeology to see if they could help to inform the science of sustainable farming, investigate opportunities for intercropping, and learn about innovative technologies being developed to monitor soil health to get the best out of our crops.

Dr Ewen Mullins, Head of the Crop Science Department at Teagasc Oak Park, explained: “To secure crop production into the future we need to exploit higher value from the crops we grow. Plant-derived protein is a high value ingredient for the food industry, but is not yet sourced from Irish protein crops. Intercropping pea with fava bean provides one opportunity to begin to address this deficit, with the potential to supply an Irish sourced ingredient for the food industry while delivering a premium for the farmer.”

Dr Karen Daly, Acting Head of the Environment, Soils and Land Use Department at Teagasc Johnstown Castle added: “About 95% of the food that we consume, comes either directly or indirectly from the soil. That’s a really good reason to protect our soil health. Soil health is key to our food security. We can now monitor soil health using infra-red techniques on soil that turns light into information about each soil sample’s overall health”.

And with infants being among the most vulnerable populations during times of global crisis, this episode features cross-border research seeking to protect the nutritional needs of infants during emergencies.

Tune into Monday’s episode of 10 Things to Know About… Food Security (Monday, November 18, 2024 at 8.30pm on RTÉ One).

For more information on tonight’s episode please click on this link: https://youtu.be/F50gNuFSjro