In this Root2Resilience podcast episode, we explore the crucial role of roots in plant breeding. Often overlooked, roots play a fundamental part in plant health, nutrient uptake, and resilience to environmental stress. We discuss why it is important to focus on roots, what functions they perform, and how they can be better integrated into modern breeding processes. The episode also highlights ongoing work within the Root2Resilience project to better understand and utilise root traits for more sustainable and resilient agriculture.

Key Topics Discussed

• The functions of roots and their importance for plant performance.
• The rhizosphere and the complex processes taking place belowground.
• How roots are currently considered in plant breeding.
• Methods for studying roots without destroying the plant.
• The work of Root2Resilience in advancing root-focused breeding approaches.

Guests

• Christina Baxter: ADAS UK – christina.baxter@adas.co.uk
• Charlotte White: ADAS UK – charlotte.white@adas.co.uk
• Eva Oburger: BOKU University Vienna – eva.oburger@boku.ac.at

Moderated by: Nina Gallmann (FiBL)

Produced by: Nina Gallmann and Laura Kemper (both FiBL)

Further information

Learn more about Root2Resilience and stay up to date: www.root2res.eu

Project on Cordis: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101060124

Project on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@root2res

Funding

Root2Resilience is supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement no 101060124, by Innovate UK through the Horizon Europe Guarantee Scheme and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) under contract number 23.00050.

Get involved

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your network and subscribe to hear more from the Root2Resilience project. Together, we can help build a more resilient future for agriculture!

D’où viennent les graines de nos légumes ? Et pourquoi leur origine est-elle importante ? À Genève, plusieurs acteurs travaillent ensemble pour conserver, sélectionner, multiplier et cultiver des variétés locales. Un voyage de la graine à l’assiette au cœur de la diversité cultivée.

À Genève, le projet Légumes traditionnels genevois fait vivre la diversité cultivée de la graine à l’assiette. Mathias Gudinchet de ProSpecieRara, Joël Mützenberg de Semences de Pays et Julia Burgin, maraîchère bio à Dardagny, racontent comment conservation, sélection, production de semences et maraîchage s’articulent autour des variétés locales. Un échange sur le goût, la résilience et la souveraineté semencière. Ce projet constitue un des trois cas d’étude de benefits.biobreeding, porté par le FiBL.

Modération: Claire Berbain, FiBL

Téchnique: Adrian Krebs, FiBL, Anke Beermann, FiBL, Michaela Mayer

Links:
Site web du projet: biobreeding.org
Légumes traditionnels genevois: prospecierara.ch

Agroforestry in the Sahel: Five years of science, partnership and impact of the SustainSahel project

Research findings are one thing; farmers actually adopting new practices is another. Across development and agriculture, there is a well-known gap between promising pilot projects and real-world uptake — but what does the evidence actually tell us about what works, for whom, and under what conditions?

In this episode, we dive deep into five years of rigorous impact data from the SustainSahel project, including randomised controlled trials designed to measure whether shrub-integrated farming genuinely improves yields, livelihoods, and food security. We explore adoption patterns across men and women farmers, unpack the economics that determine whether practices stick, and examine the policy levers and scaling pathways that could extend these benefits far beyond the original research sites.

This is the moment where research meets reality — where scientists, policymakers, and farmers confront the hard question: does this work at scale? Through lessons learned, surprising findings, and candid reflections from five years in the field, we discover what it actually takes to transform agricultural practice, and why the Sahel's future may depend on getting this right. Listen in for the evidence, the challenges, and the possibilities ahead.

Written and narrated by: Lauren Dietemann, FiBL

Guests featured on the episode: Dr. Harun Cicek and Dr. Christian Grovermann, FiBL

Many thanks to: All SustainSahel project partners

Photo: FiBL, Harun Cicek

Links:

https://www.sustainsahel.net/

https://www.sustainsahel.net/results-and-learning-materials.html

https://www.organic-africa.net/organic-agriculture/african-organic-agriculture-training-manual/agroforestry-in-the-sahel.html