Prof Dame Anne Glover CBE FRSE Vice Principal for External ... · LEAF Conference: Healthy food and farming for the future 2015 What are the challenges? • Be0er crops (resilient/nutrious)

Prof Dame Anne Glover CBE FRSE Vice Principal for External Affairs and Dean for Europe

University of Aberdeen

#LEAFconf15

www.leafuk.org | Twi0er: @LEAF_Farming | www.farmsunday.org

LEAF’s Annual Conference Tuesday 3rd November 2015

Good for us, good for our environment

Professor Dame Anne Glover CBE Vice Principal External Affairs

University of Aberdeen

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

Farming is constantly changing

Bronze age Iron age

1800s 1950s


So is our (developed world) aItude to food


Be careful who’s watching


Undernourishment around the world 1990 (% hunger) 2012 (% hunger)

World 18.7 11.3

Developed regions <5 <5

Developing regions 23.4 14.5

Africa 27.7 20.5

Sub-SaharanAfrica 33.3 23.8

Asia 23.7 12.7

EasternAsia 23.2 10.8

South-EasternAsia 30.7 10.3

SouthernAsia 24.0 15.8

LaYn America & Carib. 15.3 6.1

Oceana 15.7 14.0

From:Source:FAOTheStateofFoodInsecurityintheWorld2014p.8

Why bother? •  By 2050, there will be a 70% increase in

food demand –  Increased producYon and producYvity

•  Weneedtodothiswithreducedenvironmentalimpactandresourceuse–  Increased sustainability


Importance of farming


Source:Eurobarometer,SpecialEdi3on340“ScienceandTechnology”(2010)

Public support for science is decreasing

2005 2010


Science & technology are part of our European idenYty


Two-thirds of the planet’s surface is water – only 1% of global calories

come from the sea (FAO figures)

How much of the land can be used for food production?

Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

99% of our calories come from the land


Areas in orange are the naturally highly-fertile soils that feed the world

In reality, this amounts to around 13% - 18% of the land surface

Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000


What are the challenges? •  Be0er crops (resilient/nutriYous) •  More efficient use of resources •  Improve yield •  Deal with compeYng demands on agricultural land e.g. crops

(fuel/industrial/food) •  Reduce chemical input •  Improved animal breeding and husbandry •  FerYlity of soils •  Delivering sustainability, inclusivity and resilience •  Reducing waste


“Because of their knowledge, scienYsts have a power that makes them dangerous”

Source:Eurobarometer,SpecialEdi3on340“ScienceandTechnology”(2010)

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Don’tknow


What opYons do we have to meet our challenges?

•  Do nothing and hope for the best •  Communicate and change •  IdenYfy new approaches for sustainable farming

–  New crop varieYes •  ConvenYonal breeding •  GeneYc modificaYon

–  Integrated pest management –  Precision agriculture using satellite technology –  Sustainable animal producYon –  ……….


The confusing world of GM crops

•  19 out of 28 Member States in EU have opted for banning use of GM crops and GM feed

•  European Parliament rejected the Commission’s proposal (28/10/2015)

•  Both pro- and anY- GMO voices have claimed this as a victory


Member States voting on EFSA scientific opinion

GMO approval: The acceptance of evidence differs across the EU

Source:EuropaBio,ApprovalsofGMOsintheEuropeanUnion,Oct.2011


Societal debate is not always raYonal


Is GM technology safe? •  EASAC (29 member academies) American AssociaYon for the Advancement of Science •  American Medical AssociaYon •  American Society for Microbiology •  Australian Academy of Sciences •  Brazilian Academy of Sciences •  BriYsh Medical AssociaYon •  Chinese Academy of Sciences •  Council for Agricultural Science and Technology •  European Commission •  European Food Safety Authority •  FederaYon of Animal Science SocieYes •  Food and Agriculture OrganizaYon of the United NaYons (FAO) •  French Academy of Science •  Indian NaYonal Science Academy •  InsYtute of Food Technologists •  InternaYonal Council for Science (ICSU) •  InternaYonal Union of Food Science and Technology •  Italian NaYonal Academy of Science •  Mexican Academy of Sciences •  NaYonal Academies of Science (United States) •  OrganizaYon for Economic CooperaYon and Development (OECD) •  PonYfical Academy of Sciences •  Royal Society (United Kingdom) •  World Health OrganizaYon (WHO)

h\ps://gmoanswers.com/ask/there-list-all-organiza3onsscien3fic-bodies-have-approved-safety-gmos2014


The best way to combat "gut feelings" is using

scienYfic evidence.

ScienYfic evidence is sound and peer-reviewed.

It evolves over Yme, but it doesn’t change from

one government to the next.


Is GM the answer?


Given the size of the demographic challenge, we cannot afford not to use all the technologies that are in our toolbox

•  ConvenYonal breeding •  Reverse breeding / doubled haploids •  Molecular breeding / marker assisted selecYon •  Tissue culture / micropropagaYon •  GeneYc modificaYon

Indica3onofimpactofwaterefficientmaize,Kenya;Aug2015

Old home of Ms. Musungu (Rural outreach programme member) •  From 1.5 acre – harvested 7 bags (1 bag

= 90 kg)

New house recently built boosted by TEGO income (2014) •  PracYced good agronomic pracYces •  From 1.5 acre harvested 60 bags •  Sold 55 out of 60 bags of TEGO for new

house

©AATF


Feeding a global populaYon

Africa2015 UK2015

h\p://popula3onpyramid.net/


Planning ahead is vital •  What impact will climate change have on:

–  crops we can grow –  pests we will have to manage –  food that we can eat

•  How are we embracing agricultural innovaYon? –  Thomas Rippel - sustainable farming using cow dung and sauerkraut juice. He developed a 100% eco-friendly way of conserving the valuable substances in manure @SwissBioFarmer


If our research doesn’t ma0er, no one will fund it


CiYzens should ask poliYcians to be transparent about their moYvaYon

when they choose to ignore the scienYfic evidence


E-mail: [email protected] Twi0er: AnneGlover_EU

Thankyouforyoura\en3on!

h\p://scienceisvital.org.uk/

h\p://scien3stsforeu.uk/

Documents

Prof Dame Anne Glover CBE FRSE Vice Principal for External ... · LEAF Conference: Healthy food and farming for the future 2015 What are the challenges? • Be0er crops (resilient/nutrious)