Bananas, the UK’s favourite fruit, appear at first glance to be among our most reliable and resilient fresh produce. They are stocked in every supermarket on every day of the year, and their price seldom varies by more than a few pence per kilo. But beneath this apparently smooth and steady supply lies a complex international network affected by extreme weather, plant disease, social and political shifts, and the looming threat of climate change.
We will be holding a sandpit for early-career researchers (at lecturer level or equivalent) on 4-6 July and 19-20 July 2018 (venue TBC) for our third call ‘Resilience of the UK food system in a global context: Transforming the food system for health, sustainability and resilience across production and demand’. The application deadline is 23 May 2018, 16:00.
GFS Insight aims to offer a balanced and interdisciplinary representation of the current state of knowledge in a particular area relating to food security. This issue outlines the need for a food system that supports both health and the Paris climate agreement, exploring impacts of food production and consumption as well as potential interventions to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions across the system.
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The Global Food Security (GFS) programme has published a new workshop report that highlights the risks and challenges of using alternatives to conventional pesticides in the food system.
This project will explore how blockchain technology could improve transparency, safety, authenticity and traceability within the food system.
Pulses and oilseeds are important crops in India and the UK. Pulses are relatively under-used crops in the UK, but are a major source of dietary protein in India. Oilseeds are grown in India and the UK, and are valuable as a source of oil for a variety of uses, as well as being useful as a source of animal feed.
The GCRF Translation Awards call will fund activities that aim to achieve outcomes that deliver impact. The call aims to enable research outputs of current or previous BBSRC-funded (or other research council-funded research activity that falls within BBSRC remit) to be further developed into practical application, which delivers benefit and impact in developing countries.
The GCRF-STARS call aims to build a portfolio of sustainable and timely training resources to up-skill and develop researchers, graduate students and DAC citizens, in research priority areas, in the UK and developing countries with the research skills required to help tackle global challenges.
Pesticides provide numerous benefits, yet pressures on their use has led to industry exploring other viable options for pest, weed and disease management. This report examines the challenges of using alternatives to conventional pesticides, and highlights future research priorities for biopesticides and Integrated Pest Management strategies.
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A team from the Policy Lab workshop were awarded a prize of £5,000 to produce a report examining how we can provide food alongside other ecosystem services, incorporating examples of best practice from other countries.
They get a bad press, but certain compounds are key to a future with safe, sufficient and affordable food, says the ECPA’s Graeme Taylor.
An interdisciplinary group of researchers attended a three day workshop, forming small groups to consider future priorities for policy to better support multi-functional landscapes. One group was awarded £5,000 to develop a Policy Lab report and journal publication based on their work.
