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Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Jim Godfrey
(Feeding the Future Steering Group)
Research Priorities & Recommendations
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Basic Research
(AFRC)
Strategic Research
(AFRC,MAFF, Industry)
Applied R&D, and Extension
(ADAS, Levy Boards, Industry)
1970-1980, The Garden Of Eden?
Outputs
More food, Lower costs, ++ Support
payments
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
THE APPLICATION OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY
IN THE UK.
• Reduced the real-terms cost of food
• Ensured security of supply
• Supported the transition to an urban lifestyle
• Helped to generate a diverse diet
• Maintained viable farms
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
HOWEVER, THERE HAS BEEN A DOWNSIDE.
• Globalisation of food chains has affected UK
Producers
• Secure food supplies have influenced the
political climate relating to agriculture
• Public attention has been directed towards the
impacts and risks of agriculture rather than
towards its benefits
• R&D investment has fallen in real terms and
has had to address a much wider range of
issues
Economic
Sustainability (Levy Bodies, Link, Industry,
TSB) Environmental Sustainability (EA, Industry, NGOs)
Rural
Sustainability (RDA, EU)
Strategic research
Defra, SEERAD, DARDNI;
plus EU & Industry
In some areas
Policy
Development
Basic research (NERC, BBSRC, ESRC)
Other
Outputs
THE R&D LANDSCAPE AT THE MILLENIUM Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
‘Foresight’ Has Changed The Debate.
• Food and Energy security back up the political
agenda
• “Sustainable Intensification” beginning to drive R&D
• Both Funders and Providers of basic research much
more involved in promoting “Impact”
• “Grand Challenges” are encouraging systems approaches to R&D
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Are We Making The Best Use Of Funding ?
194
66
51
21
36 18 RESEARCH COUNCILS
DEFRA
SCOTLAND AND OTHER DGs
PRODUCER BODIES
UNIVERSITY FUNDING COUNCILS
TSB
Distribution of the annual spend on UK agricultural and related research
by UK agencies Total c. £386m.
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Challenges
• Imbalance between basic, strategic and applied
funding
• Basic funding and Funding Council support also
about maintaining research excellence across a
range of disciplines
• Lack of cohesion between different funders relating
to objectives, timescales, deliverables and
knowledge transfer.
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Addressing The Challenges
• Need for change widely recognised Post-Foresight
• A number of reviews, studies and reports emphasised the need to
‘reinforce the delivery pipeline’
• The Joint Commissioning Group was established in 2011 to develop a
‘Producer View’ of priorities
supported by
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
To add value to and support existing activity, by building on existing
sector R&D strategies, to develop an overarching coherent strategy
for UK primary food production by :-
Identifying key cross-sector Priorities, Synergies and Antagonisms
Identifying the current impediments to achieving / mitigating
these
Highlighting the industry’s current Knowledge, Capacity,
Technology, Product & Service gaps’?
Brief
To help the Industry meet the mid-century challenges identified
by Foresight
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Methodology
• A series of sectoral and cross-cutting workshops held
during 2012, together with additional directed
consultations..
• ..cross-referenced with existing sector Strategies and
Research agendas, to develop a set of Key Priorities
and Researchable Issues that are producer-focused,
generic and long-term..
• ..supported by a set of Key Recommendations to
facilitate delivery of the above
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Research Priorities
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Research Priorities
1. Utilisation of modern technologies to improve the precision and
efficiency of key agricultural management practices.
2. Apply modern genetic and breeding approaches to improve the quality,
sustainability, resilience and profitability of crops and farm animals.
3. Use systems-based approaches to understand better and manage
interactions between soil, water and crop /animal processes.
4. Develop integrated approaches to the effective management of crop
and animal pests & diseases within farming systems.
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Research Priorities
5. Develop evidence-based approaches to value ecosystem service
delivery by land users and incorporate these into effective decision
support systems at the enterprise or grouped enterprise level.
6. Extend the training and professional development of researchers,
practitioners and advisors to promote delivery of the targets above.
7. Improve the use of social and economic science to promote
development, uptake and use of sustainable, resilient and profitable
agricultural practice that can deliver affordable, safe and high-
quality products.
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
• Develop remote monitoring, control and application technologies to optimise input use efficiency, improve animal health & welfare, sustain product quality and safety, reduce the impact of machinery traffic on land and promote effective delivery of environmental goods and services
• Integrate and utilise the increasing volume of yield mapping & recording, soil, crop and animal data in order to develop better decision support tools for integrated farming systems
• Improve platform flexibility, inter-operability and applicability to the UK environment in order to promote delivery of the above
Utilisation of modern technologies to improve the precision and efficiency of key agricultural management practices.
Researchable Issues- examples from Priority 1
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
‘Big Ticket’Issues
• Importance of engineering solutions for precision agriculture
• Importance of systems-based approaches to optimise resource use efficiency
• Throughout the pipeline a need to “upskill” as well as deliver new knowledge and products
• Need to involve social and economic science to maximise impact
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Recommendations to Improve Delivery
• Levy bodies must build on recent developments by basic and strategic
funders to deliver effective research partnerships
• Levy bodies and other funders need to develop better understanding of
each other’s strategies
• Government Departments should continue to develop a common
approach to promoting innovation within the land-based sector
• Funders of basic and strategic research should consider how to develop
capacity in both new and existing key skills and how to deliver impact
effectively across the industry
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Next Steps
Emerging Findings to be used as basis for responses to BIS and to GO
Science for their concurrent reviews
Dialogue between ‘Interested Parties’ to be continued, focussing on the report recommendations
Industry Consultation Now – 31st Jan 2013
APPG Presentation Dec 4th 2012
Presentation of Final report March 2013
www.feedingthefuture.info/consultation
Feeding the Future Innovation Requirements for Primary Food Production in the UK to 2030
Download the full report at
www.feedingthefuture.info