The people have spoken and the choice of Guardian readers for the final nominee for UK invertebrate of the year is resounding: all hail Lumbricus…
View More Earthworm – the soil-maker, without whom we’d struggle to feed ourselvesTag: Soil
‘Vital for looking after the soil’: fears as UK earthworm population declines
In 2019, 15,000 children from primary schools across the UK went out to their local playing field. Instead of kicking a ball around, they dug…
View More ‘Vital for looking after the soil’: fears as UK earthworm population declinesFood, soil, water: how the extinction of insects would transform our planet
Cut an apple in half, and the white flesh reveals a cluster of black pips arranged in the shape of a star. It is a…
View More Food, soil, water: how the extinction of insects would transform our planetEarthworms help produce as much grain as Russia, say researchers
Earthworms’ contribution to the world’s grain harvest matches that of Russia, according to a study documenting their enormous role in food production. This amounts to…
View More Earthworms help produce as much grain as Russia, say researchersGlobal heating likely to hit world food supply before 1.5C, says UN expert
The world is likely to face major disruption to food supplies well before temperatures rise by the 1.5C target, the president of the UN’s desertification…
View More Global heating likely to hit world food supply before 1.5C, says UN expertFarmers’ union called UK environment targets ‘irrational’ and ‘unachievable’
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) raised questions about the government’s proposed targets on water pollution, tree planting and rewilding, calling them “irrational” and “unachievable”, according…
View More Farmers’ union called UK environment targets ‘irrational’ and ‘unachievable’Food strategy for England likely to be watered down
The government is expected to water down its upcoming food strategy for England, ignoring the ambitious recommendations proposed in two government-commissioned reports, campaigners say. The…
View More Food strategy for England likely to be watered downThe secret world beneath our feet is mind-blowing – and the key to our planet’s future
Beneath our feet is an ecosystem so astonishing that it tests the limits of our imagination. It’s as diverse as a rainforest or a coral…
View More The secret world beneath our feet is mind-blowing – and the key to our planet’s futureFarmers’ tree dilemma: if we plant woodland, will we take a cash hit?
Farmers are putting off planting trees because of the uncertainty surrounding the government’s plans for subsidies based on protecting nature, delaying the UK’s efforts to…
View More Farmers’ tree dilemma: if we plant woodland, will we take a cash hit?England’s farmers to be paid to rewild land
Farmers in England will be given taxpayers’ cash to rewild their land, under plans for large-scale nature recovery projects announced by the government. These will…
View More England’s farmers to be paid to rewild land