In the world of organic farming, vegetable breeders are at the front lines of climate change resilience.

You have breeders to specialize in tomatoes or broccoli or squash or beans or peas and so on and so forth.

It's Tuesday, August 13th, and today is Science Friday.

I'm Cyfry producer Kathleen Davis. If you're a gardener or a farmer,

it's become abundantly clear that climate change is affecting the gardening landscape.

Literally, some places are experiencing more drought and pests

are moving into different regions. Jim Myers from Oregon State University creates new varieties

of vegetables by painstakingly cross-breeding them.

The point is to get varieties that are going to last in our changing world.

Here's Ira Flato.

Welcome to Science Friday.

Well, thank you very much, Iris.

Very glad to be here.

Nice to have you.

You know, when I hear the term breeding on a farm,

what I'm usually thinking about animals, not plants.

What is a vegetable breeder?

You can separate breeders into animal breeders and plant breeders and then within plant

breeders, plant breeders are specializing usually in different kinds.

There might be forage breeders or field crop breeders working on cereals.

Vegetables is that all class of its own self and within that they're all these different crops so you have

Breeders to specialize in tomatoes or broccoli or squash or beans or peas and so on and so forth.

...