📘 Part 3: Agriculture and food production

This episode's vocabulary

To germinate (verb) - to (cause a seed to) start growing.

Countryside (noun) - land not in towns, cities, or industrial areas, that is either used for farming or left in its natural condition.

Exposed (adj.) - having no protection from bad weather.

To thrive (verb) - to grow, develop, or be successful.

Economies of scale (plural noun) - the reduction of production costs that is a result of making and selling goods in large quantities, for example, the ability to buy large amounts of materials at reduced prices.

Allotment (noun) - to give something, especially a share of something available, for a particular purpose.

Hedgerow (noun) - a line of different types of bushes and small trees growing very close together, especially between fields or along the sides of roads in the countryside.

To preserve (verb) - to keep something as it is, especially in order to prevent it from decaying or being damaged or destroyed.

A load - a lot.

Predatory (adj.) - A predatory person or organization tries to get something that belongs to someone else.

The bare minimum (noun) - the least possible amount.

Credit (noun) - praise, approval, or honour.

Pesticide (noun) - a chemical substance used to kill harmful insects, small animals, wild plants, and other unwanted organisms.

Taxing (adj.) - difficult or needing a lot of thought or effort.

Variant (noun) - something that is slightly different from other similar things.

Polythene (noun) - a light, usually thin, soft plastic, often used for making bags or for keeping things dry or fresh.

To take something with a pinch of salt (idiom) - to not completely believe something that you are told, because you think it is unlikely to be true.

Reservoir (noun) - a place for storing liquid, especially a natural or artificial lake providing water for a city or other area.

Landslide (noun) - a mass of rock and earth moving suddenly and quickly down a steep slope.

Eventuality (noun) - something unpleasant or unexpected that might happen or exist in the future.

Questions and Answers

M: Have new kinds of plants been grown in your city recently?

R: Well, spring came recently, so I suppose a lot of plants will be germinating after the winter periods. But if you mean ones grown by people, then none near me, possibly further towards the countryside, then it's possible. But where I live, it's too exposed. And it's too close to the sea for such things to thrive.

M: Are there many people growing their own vegetables now?

R: In my country? I would say fewer than before, actually. Since mass agriculture allows for economies of scale, but people growing things in allotments just can't beat. They still do, though, just not in anywhere near as large numbers as before.

M: Should schools teach children how to grow plants?

R: I don't see why not. Since, well, it should help people understand life cycles and the important roles that plants play in our lives. Not just the things to eat. But as things like national symbols and natural barriers, like with field borders and hedgerows. If they can see and understand the process, they'll be more likely to explain and preserve plants as they see the value of them.

M: What do you think of the job of a farmer?

R: Well, I know I wouldn't want to do it. It seems like a load of very hard work with minimal rewards, especially with the almost predatory role that large food corporations play in paying them the bare minimum. It can't be easy. And I don't get enough credit. I mean, you certainly don't see this kind of thing in the papers in this country.

M: What are the differences between traditional and modern agriculture?

R: Oh, well, surely that depends where you draw the line at the concepts. At least I suppose so. Generally, traditional farming is probably smaller scale, uses fewer industrial methods like pesticides, and is less demanding on the environment. Of course, that will mean the smaller output too. Modern agriculture seems like the opposite. Big farms, lots of chemicals and processes and massively taxing for the local soil. But with a lot of food produced as a result.

M: How much traditional farming is there now in your country?

R: Oh, God only knows. I can't remember the last time I even went to a farm, and even driving past fields these days seems like more modern variants with tractors and polythene covers. And who decides what's traditional too? So with that in mind, I would say not much based on what I can see. But take that with a pinch of salt, because that's... I have no idea. That's just my personal experience.

M: Is there enough water in your country to support farming?

R: Well, I would certainly hope so, since we have a lot of natural reservoirs in terms of lochs and lakes in Scotland. And we're surrounded by the sea on most sides. Plus it rains regularly. You never hear about it on the news either. Unlike countries further to the south. So if we don't have enough water, then you have to wonder who does?

M: Does bad weather affect the food supply where you live?

R: Well, not a great deal given the development of the transport links. Possibly in more isolated areas, something like a landslide might prevent food deliveries for a while. But people who live in those areas are generally well prepared for eventualities like that.

M: Hey! Thank you, Rory, for your agriculture answers!

R: Much better educated on this subject than I thought, to be honest.