This week our gleaners gathered organic beetroot, generously donated by local farmers.
As we sorted the crop, we noticed damage in some of the roots. It would be easy to dismiss these blemishes, but they may be telling a much bigger story.
Across the countryside, prolonged dry weather is leaving its mark. Wild plants are drying back, soils have lost moisture, and we’ve observed changes in the behaviour of mammals that suggest food and water are becoming harder to find. When ecosystems come under stress, wildlife adapts. Insects, like mammals, may be forced to seek alternative sources of food and moisture. During a drought, a beetroot can become an attractive resource in a landscape where many plants are struggling.
Some may see this and conclude that the answer is simply to use insecticides. Agroecology sees it differently. Insecticides may help in the short term, but they are a sticking plaster rather than a solution. They do not address the underlying problem, especially when whole ecosystems are under stress.
If soils are drying out, habitats are becoming less resilient and wildlife is struggling to find resources, simply removing insects does not restore the health of the system. Insects are not only crop pests. They are also food for birds, mammals, amphibians and other invertebrates, forming part of the complex web of relationships that healthy ecosystems depend on. Reducing pest populations may sometimes be necessary, but long-term resilience comes from strengthening the system as a whole rather than focusing on individual symptoms in isolation.
Others may argue that the solution is more irrigation. Access to water is clearly important for food production, but drought is about more than a lack of water for crops. Healthy soils, diverse habitats and functioning ecosystems all help to capture, store and cycle water through the landscape. Irrigation can help crops survive, but it cannot by itself rebuild ecosystem resilience or address the wider impacts of climate change.
What is particularly striking is that this beetroot came from an organic farm with a strong commitment to biodiversity and soil health. These are exactly the kinds of farming systems that are often considered more resilient. Yet even here, the effects of prolonged drought appear to be rippling through the ecosystem.
The farmers who donated this crop were facing more than a reduction in the saleable harvest. They were also witnessing signs of stress in the wildlife and ecological systems they have spent years helping to nurture. That should give us pause for thought.
Healthy soils and thriving biodiversity are essential foundations of resilient food systems. But even these cannot fully compensate for a changing climate. If we want farming, wildlife and communities to thrive, we must address the root causes of climate change while continuing to invest in nature’s recovery. This is not a choice between food production and nature. Healthy ecosystems underpin healthy food systems. The challenge is to create landscapes that can produce food, support wildlife and remain resilient in the face of increasingly extreme weather.
At Food in Community, we’re interested in the stories our food can tell. Sometimes a scar or blemish is not a sign that food should be wasted. Instead, it can reveal the complex relationship between climate, nature and the food on our plates.
Perhaps the lesson from this beetroot is that food security, nature recovery and climate action are not separate challenges. They are different aspects of the same challenge. If nature is struggling, food production will eventually struggle too. And when food systems come under pressure, so do the farmers, communities and households that depend on them.
Building resilience means investing in healthy soils, thriving biodiversity, resilient farming businesses and a stable climate. We need all four.