During his semester-long residency last spring at the Berkeley Food Institute, best-selling cooking writer and New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman visited nearby farms, enjoyed California farmer’s markets, and met with many Berkeley faculty and students. This summer, in collaboration with the New York Times and UC’s Global Food Initiative, Bittman has released California Matters, a video series on sustainable agriculture and healthy eating.
In this week’s episode, Bittman and ESPM Professor Claire Kremen travel to Full Belly farms to discuss the important role of pollinators in crop production. Kremen explains how our monoculture farming practices have led to a dependence on transporting honeybees for pollination, and offers alternatives for how farms can promote populations of local, wild bees to help pollinate our crops.
Bittman provides additional commentary about the episode on the New York Times website.
Check out previous episodes on the California Matters youtube channel, and stay tuned: a later episode will feature ESPM Cooperative Extension Specialist Jennifer Sowerwine and her work with Hmong and Mien farmers in California.