The Biodiversity Buffet with Dan Saladino

Can we re-tune the Dutch food system?

Amidst the worldwide loss of food diversity and our increasing reliance on a limited number of crops and corporations, there lies an opportunity for ecological and cultural enrichment. Instead of prioritizing bulk over quality, a diverse food culture can serve to nourish both ourselves and our environment. Can we tune the Dutch food system to respond to the dynamics and diversity of our unique delta landscape?

Throughout the past several decades, our approach to food has leaned heavily towards homogenization, diminishing both the variety in our natural environment and in what we consume. Of the roughly six thousand different plants once consumed by human beings just three of these—rice, wheat, and corn—now provide half of all our calories. This trend is not irreversible: there’s a growing awareness of the need to reconnect with the vast array of plants that once graced our plates.