Ensuring our future food security is arguably the most pressing challenge facing mankind today. It is also one of the most complicated because it is intertwined with so many other critical issues like global warming, energy security, land use and environmental protection.
What begins as a scientific conundrum – how to produce more food on a finite amount of land – has enormous societal implications when food prices rise and commodities become scarce. Globally, it could cause land grabs, conflict, mass migration and famine. Closer to home the results might be less dramatic but they still threaten huge effects on society.
A complex challenge
The complexity of the challenge is also the root of the solution.
The challenges must be integrated and synergies found. As well as producing enough to feed a growing population, other vital challenges are in meeting the need for biofuels while minimising the footprints of land-based production in relation to carbon, water and biodiversity. Clearly, what we need is sustainable productivity.
Last month, the Government published Food 2030 which spells out its strategy for sustainable food production. To achieve the vision for 2030 requires action by all in the food chain. ADAS’ experience in most areas supports optimism for real scope to improve what is currently done and how
we do it; but of course there are major challenges.
Some recent ADAS activities have already helped government and businesses meet the food security challenge, and we expect to enhance this effort in future.
Through our work testing and using PAS2050, ADAS is helping clients understand the process of production and we are now using this to introduce improvements which will reduce their footprint and improve business performance at the same time.
Land use
A key issue is that of land use. Land area is limited and remains a major governing factor of productivity. The UK, like other countries, will have to adapt.
There is competition for land use between food, town planning, energy, recreation and natural habitats. All have requirements and sometimes they can be met from the same piece of land, but that is not always possible. Equally, optimising land use is vital on a global scale to minimise climate change and maximise wider environmental needs.
For example, conversion of permanent pasture to arable results in 2 to 10 times the greenhouse gas impacts of arable; conversion from forest to arable is even worse - 30 to 40 times that of arable. Both forest and grass are also essential habitats for many
wildlife species.
No single solution
There is no one solution that will give us global food security. The answer lies in making numerous marginal gains through increasing productivity, improving resource efficiency, developing technological advancements, plant breeding, communication, consumer and food chain behaviour change and waste reduction.
Collectively, advancements in these areas will enable increased food availability
without compromising environmental sustainability. This all needs to be in the context of social demands. For instance, reducing meat consumption may well reduce environmental impacts, but it is an aspiration of developing societies. More than 60 per cent of British agricultural land is grassland and much of it, particularly the hills and uplands, is unsuitable for growing food crops. Semi-permanent rough grazing and improved grasslands play an important role in locking up carbon dioxide and regulating the flow of rain into water courses.
Livestock act as vegetation managers, a vital role in upland areas. This grazing is both effective land use and provides the landscape and wildlife values that people have come to expect.
It remains vital to strike the best balance of improved performance efficiency to meet both productivity and a wide range of environmental and social objectives.
To contribute to the Food Security debate, or to find out more about ADAS activities in this area contact James Clarke, Science and business development manager on 01954 268219 or e-mail james.clarke@adas.co.uk.