Alternatives for Tomatoes and Potatoes

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The best thing to do is go back to where they're growing originally and see what else is growing alongside them. The potato was growing in the Andes, and it's part of what we call the Andean 5 root crops. Part of those is something called Oka, which is a tiny little root, has a lemony flavour. Another few that we're growing with the Sandian 5 is one called Mashua, which is kind of a mustardy flavour. But when we're growing all these things, it's not that we're never going to grow the potatoes. It's just that we want to grow them alongside things.

We now know that global temperatures are likely to temporarily rise by more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels in the next five years. Breaching this crucial threshold will give humanity an insight into what the next few decades could bring. It will undoubtedly have serious consequences in all aspects of our lives, including what we eat. In the second of our special series of episodes looking at what a future world might look like, science editor Ian Sample explores how our diets could change as the Earth heats up. Ian talks to Kew’s kitchen gardener Helena Dove about climate-resilient vegetables, visits Tiziana di Costanzo’s insect farm to try mealworms and crickets, and hears from Solar Food’s CEO, Pasi Vainikka, about making food from bacteria, electricity and air. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod