A Collaborative Approach to Improving Vegetable Varieties: Organic Science in the Making

Strong seed systems are essential for resilient farming systems. Dr. Loren Rieseberg and his team are combining genomics, ecophysiology, and farmer participation to improve the quality, quantity, and diversity of well-adapted carrot and salad greens seed varieties. In the lab at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto, researchers are studying how carrots adapt to different environments at the genomic and functional level. Meanwhile, in the field, a network of farmers (CANOVI) is helping identify varieties with promising traits under regional farming conditions. In this episode, we explore how researchers and farmers are working together to strengthen seed security and build climate resilience in vegetable production. This podcast series was originally released as the film series Captured on Film: Organic Science in the Making. You can find links to the films – and more information about all the research activities - on the Organic Science Cluster 4 website. That’s Organic-Science-Canada.ca Organic Science Cluster 4 is an industry-led research and development endeavour co-managed by the Organic Federation of Canada and the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada at Dalhousie University and supported by the AgriScience Program under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership together with over 80 funding partners.