UK agriculture benefits from nearly £2 million support towards sustainability improvement

With a rapidly increasing global population set to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 coupled with environmental change, the challenge of feeding the world has never been greater. Making UK farming more resilient and sustainable will improve the UK’s ability to feed itself, while also benefitting the global food system more broadly.

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Food security finalists listed for prestigious BBSRC Innovator of the Year awards

Five innovation projects that directly seek to enhance food security have been shortlisted for the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council’s (BBSRC) prestigious Innovator of the Year awards. BBSRC leads on the Global Food Security programme, which is hosted by UK Research and Innovation.

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Food systems, interdisciplinary research and the Global Challenges Research Fund

The new GCRF hubs call is a huge investment in interdisciplinary research, with plans to fund a dozen £8 million-£20 million grants to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing developing countries. Riaz Bhunnoo, Head of Global Food Security, explains why this presents a great opportunity for research in food security, which cuts across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and necessitates a ‘food systems’ approach.

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Protecting animal and human health in emerging livestock systems

GFS has helped facilitate an £18.5 million multidisciplinary research initiative to help protect animal and human health in the face of emerging livestock farming systems. Meat demand is predicted to rise by 40% in 2030 and there are significant risks to health associated with the rapidly changing nature of livestock farming systems to meet demand: 60% of human pathogens and 75% of emerging diseases are zoonotic.

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Setting the EU’s food security research agenda

GFS has played a leading role in discussions around the EU’s food security research priorities through the Expo event: Feeding the Planet, Energy for life. GFS led on the ‘EU research and global food and nutrition security’ discussion paper as part of an EU Scientific Steering Committee. This paper served as the basis for dialogue on food security research priorities with stakeholders at the Expo event.

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