Sir John Beddington - A Sustainable Future for Food and Farming

Six ways science can contribute to policy progress with the aim of achieving food security.

The 21st century is seeing a growing world population and complex demographic changes, including increasing urbanisation and increasing prosperity. These demographic changes will pose key issues of food, energy and water security. Social stresses such as poverty, conflict and weak governance will also threaten food security. Global food production must rise to meet the need to feed this growing population despite the challenges posed by these circumstances.
Scientific assessments point to climate change as a growing threat to agricultural yields and food security, as increases in extreme weather events are expected. Unhelpful agricultural practices, such as inappropriate fertiliser use and land clearing will contribute to release greenhouse gases which exacerbate climate change. Agricultural practices could be adopted to reduce emissions and improve yields under extreme weather conditions. However, progress on national and global policies to support these has been sluggish. Sir John Beddington will present six areas where science can contribute to policy progress along the lines of priorities identified by the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change.

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