Future of Food and Farming report welcomed

24 January 2011

The publication of the Foresight report ' The Future of Food and Farming' has been welcomed as a valuable contribution to thinking about the action needed to avert a food security crisis.

Professor Janet Allen, BBSRC Director of Research and Chair of the Global Food Security programme development board, said: "The Foresight report on the Future of Food and Farming marks a major contribution to our thinking about global food and the steps we need to take to feed a world population forecast to reach 9Bn in 2050.

"The report is important in recognising that the food security challenge has a multitude of causes and drivers and that there is no single, easy answer to sustainably providing all of us with safe, nutritious and affordable food. Multidisciplinary research looking at the whole food system will have a key role to play in developing knowledge and innovation to help consumers, farmers, industry and policymakers across the world deal with the challenges ahead in a sustainable way. The UK's world-class research base is ideally placed to deliver this.

"The UK's main public funders of food-related research and training are working together in partnership through the Global Food Security programme to meet this challenge. The programme brings together Research Councils, Government Departments and other public bodies to provide a breadth of expertise that encompasses the broad, multidisciplinary and sustainable approach we are going to need."

A number of BBSRC supported researchers and scientists at BBSRC institutes contributed to the development of the report.

BBSRC is the UK's largest funder of food-related research and training. Research in food security is one of BBSRC's strategic priorities over the next five years.

ENDS

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