Launch of new report on transformative innovation in the food system
A new report published by the multi-agency Global Food Security (GFS) programme describes how disruptive innovation is needed to transform the UK food system.
Agriculture
Transformative innovation across food supply chains to improve decision-making
This report investigates how transformative innovation can lead to ‘business unusual’ in food supply chains, bringing together academia, industry, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), non-government organisations (NGOs) and policy makers. It examines the challenges to industry and business that technologies could address, and has provided future priorities for research, industry, and policy.
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Phosphorus: the Hidden Bedrock of the UK Food System
There is a growing threat to the UK’s food system, and most of us aren’t even aware of it. Phosphorus is an element that is essential to all living things; it forms a key component of DNA and is important for energy transfers in cells.
Waste not want not: What are the problems of food waste in the supply chain and how can we fix them?
Dr Ciara Dangerfield discusses the outputs of her GFS-funded workshop that explored where food loss and waste occur across the supply chain, and how the scientific community can address these issues to make our food system less wasteful.
Foot-and-mouth disease vaccination strategy could help reduce food insecurity in eastern Africa
Research generated by scientists at University of Glasgow and The Pirbright Institute has shown that a targeted vaccination programme against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) could alleviate poverty in eastern Africa.
Unpack a game, unpack the world? Exploring the future of South African fruit with game design
If the fruit sector were a game, what would it be like? Monopoly – rich get richer, poor get poorer? Snakes and Ladders – it’s all down to luck? Dungeons and Dragons – highly complex and best directed by experts? Or maybe like Twister – needing strength and flexibility?
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.
In praise of the humble pollinator
For National Insect Week, Dr Tom Breeze from Modelling Landscapes for Resilient Pollination Services in the UK project, part of our Food Systems Resilience Programme, shares how bees are vital to global food security.
Bananas at a crossroads
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.
Sandpit for early-career researchers at lecturer level or equivalent
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.
Insight, issue six: Paris-compliant healthy food systems
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.
(You can view PDF documents by downloading a PDF reader. We recommend using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox web browsers.)
Report examines the efficacy and unintended consequences of alternatives to conventional pesticides
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.
