DeepSummary
The podcast episode discusses the challenges and considerations involved in growing food in urban areas, where soil contamination from past industrial activities is a significant issue. Anna de Silva from the Northern Roots urban farm project in Oldham, UK, shares her experience of testing and managing the soil on a former industrial site with a history of cotton mills, coal mines, and landfills.
The episode explores various methods for dealing with contaminated soil, such as raised beds, phytoremediation (using plants to extract contaminants), and phytomining (extracting valuable metals from hyperaccumulator plants). Andrew Clark, a soil expert from Salford University, explains the risks associated with heavy metals like lead, zinc, and cadmium and offers advice for amateur urban growers.
Hannah Jewell from the Lady Barn community garden in Manchester shares her experience of discovering lead contamination in their soil and their approach to growing food safely using raised beds and imported topsoil. Professor Olainka Nwachiku from Nigeria discusses her research on soil contamination near factories and the potential health impacts of consuming crops grown in contaminated areas.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Soil contamination from past industrial activities is a significant issue for urban growers and farmers.
- Testing soil for contaminants like heavy metals is crucial before growing food in urban areas.
- Various methods exist for managing and remediating contaminated soil, including raised beds, phytoremediation, and phytomining.
- Certain crops, like root vegetables, are more susceptible to absorbing contaminants from the soil.
- Consuming produce grown in contaminated soil can potentially have negative health impacts.
- Community engagement and transparency about soil testing and management are essential for urban farming initiatives.
- Economic feasibility is a consideration when exploring phytomining as a remediation technique.
- Urban growers may need to adjust their growing methods and crop choices based on the level of soil contamination.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “We have legitimately had questions from local residents saying, we know what this site used to be, how can you grow food on it? So it's really important to be able to reassure those people.“ by Anna de Silva
- “It doesn't make one immune from being exposed to contaminated food just because one does not live in the vicinity of these contaminated areas. If you purchase anything, you could be exposed. You don't know.“ by Olainka Nwachiku
- “The big issue there is being able to extract sufficient metal to make it economically viable.“ by Andrew Clark
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Episode Information
The Food Chain
BBC World Service
6/26/24
More of us are living in cities and urban farming is on the rise. Can you be sure the city soil you’re growing in is clean enough?
Industry and traffic can contaminate land, but there are ways to deal with the problem.
Ruth Alexander finds out how to test soil, how to clean it, and which fruit and vegetables are the safest to grow on former industrial and commercial sites.
If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk
(Picture: A garden trowel with some soil on it)
Producer: Hannah Bewley