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Farming Today: 21/09/22: Living off grid, sustainable agritech, oil seed rape research

21/09/22: Living off grid, sustainable agritech, oil seed rape research

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 21/09/22: Living off grid, sustainable agritech, oil seed rape research

What life is like for those living without mains electricity.

What life is like for those living without mains electricity - not through choice. And how can agritech firms fit in with sustainable farming?

Major players in international food chains are meeting this week at the World Agri-Tech summit in London to discuss how new innovations such as satellite imaging, precision farming, and biotechnology can help feed a growing world population with less environmental damage. So what does that mean for companies which produce fertilisers and pesticides? Anna Hill speaks to Jeremy Williams from Bayer Crop Science.

All this week we're talking about the cost of living, and how it impacts on people living in rural communities. For some who are not connected to the mains electricity grid, it can mean even higher costs. We hear from a couple who live off grid, and the campaign to get people like them more help to get connected.

And scientists from the John Innes Centre in Norwich have discovered why some oil seed rape crops do poorly in warmer winters. It has to do with the tiny flower buds which form under the ground. Now the researchers are breeding to select varieties which can still do well, even in warmer winters.

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

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21/09/22: Living off grid, sustainable agritech, oil seed rape research

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