Resilient by Nature

What does it take to keep food growing when the climate refuses to play by the old rules? In this episode of Resilient by Nature, we travel to British Columbia’s Pemberton Valley, where just six family farms quietly uphold a responsibility far bigger than their footprint. These farmers produce virus-free seed potatoes—the genetic starting point of a significant proportion of North America’s potato crop. To grow a potato plant, you need a potato, and when the climate shifts, that fragile beginning is put to the test. Here, resilience is practiced in fields shaped by snowmelt and floodwaters, in labs built for sterility and precision, and in farming philosophies that treat the soil as a living system. We meet Anna Helmer, a biodynamic farmer rooted in seasonal rhythms, and Kevin Clark, a data-driven flood forecaster tracking rivers, snowpack, and probability curves that stretch back decades. Together, their work reveals what climate adaptation really looks like on the ground: blending tradition with technology, intuition with data, and care with preparedness. As warming temperatures reshape snowfall, flooding, and growing seasons, the Pemberton Valley stands at the cutting edge of climate change—and climate adaptation. This is a story about food security, collaboration, and the quiet, determined work of communities learning not just how to survive a changing climate, but how to grow through it.   Notes Biodynamic farming refers to a holistic, ecological farming method that goes beyond typical certified organic farming standards. This system of farming views the farm as a living organism, integrates cosmic rhythms (moon, stars) with soil health, uses natural preparations, and fosters self-contained systems (no synthetic or imported fertilizers). What is cover cropping for? Cover cropping is used to improve soil health, prevent erosion, manage soil nutrients, control weeds, and enhance biodiversity by growing non-harvested plants (e.g. clover, alfalfa, or grasses) between cash crops or during fallow periods, which protects soil, adds organic matter, retains moisture, and creates healthier systems resilient to drought and heavy rain   Acknowledgements We would like to thank Anna Helmer of Helmer's Organic Farm and Kevin Clark, Manager of the Pemberton Valley Dyking District, for contributing to this episode. Music provided by Epidemic Sound, featuring: Lek Alhoob by Ebo Krdum Early Morning Rain by Sunfish Grove Unbroke Spirit by Sunfish Grove New Ambitions by Trevor Kowalski Semi-Professional Spy by Rachel Sandy

In this episode of Resilient By Nature, we explore a desert where science and story intertwine. In the far reaches of South Africa lies Namaqualand—a vast, desert rangeland on the very edge of climate extremes. For thousands of years, the Nama people have tended their herds there, reading the land, the sky, and the patterns of rain that sustain them. Today, those patterns are shifting. Climate change is reshaping the desert, testing the endurance of both people and place. Yet within the same landscape live older stories—tales where the Nama people once influenced the weather itself, calling the rain or driving it away. This episode brings these worlds together: the scientist and the storyteller, the measurable and the mythical. Through the work of two researchers—separated by half a century but connected by the same stretch of desert—we glimpse how resilience is written not only in data, but in the imagination of those who call the desert home. We meet Dr. Igshaan Samuels, a rangeland ecologist tracing how an increasingly extreme climate is reshaping life in Namaqualand—and what this ancient relationship between people and land can teach us about adapting to a changing world. We also hear the words of Dr. Sigrid Schmidt, a German Folklorist known for recording Indigenous stories from Africa. Long before climate science turned its gaze to Namaqualand, Dr. Schmidt was listening to its stories—tales that revealed how deeply human and environmental worlds are intertwined.   Acknowledgments: We gratefully acknowledge the Government of Namibia for granting permission to include archival recordings of the spoken Nama language. This permission was provided through the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture — Directorate of Namibia Library and Archive Service — and the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) under the Preserve Namibia Indigenous Knowledge Project. In addition, thank you to the following for contributing to this episode: Dr. Igshaan Samuels, Dr. Sigrid Schmidt, Klaudia Terwei for narrating Dr. Schmidt’s written work. The partner organizations that supported the climate vulnerability study, including: South Africa Agricultural Research Council, University of the Western Cape, South African National Parks, University of South Africa, The Resilience Institute, and importantly, the people of the Kuboes community. Music provided by Epidemic Sound, including: Lek Alhoob by Ebo Krdum Time will Tell (Instrumenta Version) by King Sis Boodh Tira by Ali Dhaanto ES High Life by Coma Svensson, Sven Lindvall, and Daniel Fridell Storm by Amaroo LUB (Instrumental Version) by Amaroo Everywhere by Say3

This episode features excerpts from an interview with Libby Elliot, former fire fighter turned social worker. You’ll hear what it was like to be firefighter during one of the worst fire seasons in Canadian history, and how those firefighters reacted when their own homes burn down, too. From lived experience, Libby answers the question – what does resilience really mean when faced with disaster? 

This episode features excerpts from an interview with Thomas Peters, a Piikani youth. Thomas talks about the role of Sweetgrass in his community. He contemplates one day completing his PhD and being a role model for youth in his community. The interview is part of a larger collaboration on a community-based climate initiative in southern Alberta. The initiative weaves a traditional form of environmental monitoring by the Piikani People called the “Winter Count” with good practices in environmental monitoring from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

In this episode, we hear from Mitchel Janvier, a young indigenous man from Anzac, Alberta, Canada, about what he learned through participation in The Resilience Institute's Bison and Climate Change project. We also hear from bison expert Wes Olson, whose lifelong relationship with this animal, his stories, wisdom, and passion will move you to see bison in a new light.

The Horse River Fire in the Wood Buffalo Region of northeastern Alberta, Canada, was one of Canada's most costly disasters. In this episode, learn about The Resilience Institute's Fire & Ice program and how a small cohort from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo  came together in a journey of healing, learning, and reflection.