British agriculture has earned its position of strategic importance with government and is poised to deliver solutions to the food production challenge that is looming.
That was the message from NFU President Peter Kendall ahead of his address at the launch of the BBSRC’s Global Food Security Research Programme, which will look at the challenge of producing more while using less resources.
Mr Kendall will be joined by BBSRC Chief Executive Prof Douglas Kell, Prof Alan Thorpe of Research Councils UK, Defra minister Lord Davies and the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor John Beddington, in London tomorrow.
The NFU has long called for a measures to reverse the underspend in agri-R&D through our Why Science Matters for Farming campaign.
And Mr Kendall said that the very prospect of major funders coming together to co-ordinate their approach to the global issue of food security was good news.
He said: “UK farmers are very well-placed to provide solutions to the issue of food security, globally as well as closer to home. However, we can only deliver if the right research is funded and sustained long-term and then translated into practice in the field.
“We need research and technology to help farmers and growers increase food production while impacting less on the environment and we need to have a government that legislates to support the important, strategic role that agriculture now holds. This Global Food Security Research Programme will enable our science community to step up to the challenges ahead and work with farmers and growers on this critical issue.”
* The BBSRC launch of the Food Security Research Programme will take place on Thursday March 11, from 6pm, in London.
Read more about our work on food security here.
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