National event focuses on food security challenges
Sector-wide conference examines local and global issues linked to resilience in food supplies.
Barriers to food security, and how these could be resolved, are to be discussed by the Director of the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems at an industry event.
Professor Geoff Simm will join senior politicians and representatives from across the agricultural sector at the meeting of the UK Agricultural Partnership, a forum created by the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, which brings together farmers, researchers, businesses and policymakers across the UK.
In a talk entitled ‘Food Security research and innovation’, Professor Simm will outline the role that research and innovation can play, and their limits.
Systemic approach
As part of a panel discussion focused on solutions, he will emphasise the need to tackle food insecurity in a systemic manner, along with the intersecting challenges of climate change, nature and loss of biodiversity, malnutrition & inequity, at local and global levels.
Panellists will also examine the impact of climate change, the biggest long-term threat to UK food security.
The event is hosted by the James Hutton Institute in Dundee. Taking part are the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, the UK Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice, and the Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland, Edwin Poots.
“With food at the very top of the agenda, it is only right that we come together to discuss our shared challenges and solutions. Global gas prices have led to increased input costs, particularly for manufactured fertilisers, livestock feed, energy and fuel. We need to look at the full range of solutions that are available to us, and we must work alongside our world-leading agricultural research institutes to do so.”
Food security is a complex local and global challenge that calls for interventions from a range of angles, including social, economic, and political, as well as technical contributions. It is vital that all relevant parties come together to develop systemic solutions.