Nuclear Winter Diet? The crops that could save your city from starvation

Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh

Apocalypse Farming

Could your city feed itself in a nuclear winter? A bold New Zealand study says yes—but only if we rethink our streets as survival farms.

Garden vs. Disaster

In Palmerston North, backyard gardens could feed just 20% of people—forcing the rest to rely on industrial farms beyond city limits to avoid mass starvation.

Peas for Peace

Under normal skies, peas top the list as the city’s ultimate survival crop—packed with protein, thriving in small urban patches.

Cold Crops Rule

When nuclear winter strikes, sunlight-hungry crops fail. Spinach, sugar beet, wheat, and carrots become humanity’s last lifeline.

Fuel from Fields

No diesel? No food. The study urges cities to grow canola to produce biodiesel—keeping farm machines running even when oil imports vanish.

Land of Last Resort

To survive a global disaster, Palmerston North would need 1140 hectares of farmland dedicated solely to high-yield staples like wheat and potatoes.

Nuclear Winter Math

Under post-apocalypse gloom, cities will need even more farmland to meet basic needs, thanks to plummeting yields of cold-resistant crops.

Biofuel Lifeline

110 hectares of canola fields could power all farming equipment—making biofuel production as critical as food itself in collapse scenarios.

Urban Food Shield

From rooftops to parks, the study argues cities must transform every inch into food zones—turning passive urban spaces into humanity’s last agricultural frontier.