Could Syrian wheat growing in Italy solve farmers’ climate woes?
Channel: Earth Journalism Network
Date: 29/10/2018

By Lorin Eleni Gill and Sarah Cahlan

Italian plant geneticist Salvatore Ceccarelli spent decades in Syria studying ways to engineer seeds to suit dry climates. When he decided to take a mixture of wheat grains he’d cultivated home to Italy, not only did he and local farmers have to navigate legal setbacks, but they also had to wait and see how the grains would adapt to Italian soil. Follow Ceccarelli as he explores an organic farming movement that critics view as disruptive to modern agricultural practices. While evolutionary plant breeding could prove useful to small farmers around the world in the face of a warming climate, will the masses be willing to adopt it?