E27: Plant Diversity and Food Equity at Oak Spring Garden Foundation – Dr. Peter Crane and Christine Harris

In this episode of Oh Crop!, host Kat Morgan, MPH, sits down with Dr. Peter Crane — President of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation and former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — and Christine Harris, Director of Oak Spring’s Rokeby Farm.

Recorded on the foundation’s 700-acre landscape in Upperville, Virginia, once the estate of Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, the conversation explores what it takes to conserve plant diversity at different scales, including their Biocultural Conservation objectives, and why that work matters now for both climate resilience and food equity. The episode also covers important themes like linking ecologically grown local produce to community food banks to combat regional nutrition insecurity. Christine describes how Oak Spring's Rokeby Farm produces crops to nourish visitors and community members alike. Peter and Christine close by sharing what gives them hope, from the young growers and visitors finding their way onto the land to the families who have kept seeds in circulation for generations.

⁠Read more about the Oak Spring Garden Foundation⁠