The world needs to increase food production and availability by 70 per cent by 2050 to keep pace with the food needs of a rapidly expanding global population.
And this is in the face of climate change and increasing pressure on the world’s finite natural resources.
With its good soils, temperate climate, professional farming sector and world-leading research and development, Britain is ideally placed not only to optimise its capacity for sustainable, efficient food production, but also to become a global hub for agri-science excellence and innovation.
There are mounting concerns that without a clear vision for agricultural policy, guided by the science, the UK is at risk of sleepwalking into its own food crisis.
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Yet the weight of scientific evidence points to a need to optimise production on existing farmland. Prof Andrew Balmford, a conservation scientist at Cambridge University, told the meeting the most effective way to keep pace with increasing human demands for food while protecting habitats and preventing further biodiversity loss was through high-tech, high-yield production on existing farmland.
It turns out this is also the most efficient way to meet climate change objectives through increased opportunities for carbon sequestration and storage.
