Burren mushrooms could end world hunger

Mushrooms growing in the Burren in Co Clare hold the key to tackling future world food shortages, according to scientists.

Fungal experts have discovered that networks of microscopic fungi play a key role in aiding plants to extract nutrients from the soil. These networks, which have been christened “nature’s internet” have been completely destroyed in much of the world, with the pristine Burren grasslands believed to be Europe’s last large example of an intact, large fungal network.

Dr Ray Woods of Plantlife, a British organisation, the Burren is the fungal “ark” on which the future of European farming could depend.