(AFP, London) Britain is exploring agricultural transformation due to climate change and altered rainfall patterns. Rice is being trialed in eastern England, while lemons and chickpeas are being grown in the south.
Research from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology indicates that popular crops like wheat and strawberries will be more difficult to grow in decades if temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius; onions and oats will also be impacted if temperatures rise by 4 degrees Celsius. Conversely, crops such as sunflowers, durum wheat, soybeans, chickpeas, lemons, and okra may have greater potential for cultivation, especially in southwest England and along the Scottish coast.
Researchers trialed nine rice varieties common in the US, Philippines, Macedonia, and Japan, with four growing well. The rice was germinated in the laboratory and then transplanted into water in June, with harvesting beginning in early October.
Field ecologist Mishunas said that Britain has never grown rice before, but with climate change, rice cultivation "seems feasible, no longer a crazy idea," and Britons could be eating domestically produced rice within a decade. She pointed out that the climate suitable for rice cultivation is shifting northward in Europe, with successful rice trial programs already underway in the Netherlands and Germany.
The University of Southampton in southern England is also conducting crop research, including chickpea cultivation. Professor Chapman, the biological sciences professor leading the research, said, "If we wait twenty or thirty years and suddenly find that we can no longer grow wheat…that would be a huge problem."
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He emphasized that in order to smoothly advance agricultural transformation, it is necessary to determine which new crops should be prioritized for planting in the future and to ensure that consumers are prepared to change their eating habits.
