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

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

So is our (developed world) aItude to food

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

Be careful who’s watching

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

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

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

Importance of farming

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Source:Eurobarometer,SpecialEdi3on340“ScienceandTechnology”(2010)

Public support for science is decreasing

2005 2010

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

Science & technology are part of our European idenYty

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

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

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

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

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

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

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

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

Source:Eurobarometer,SpecialEdi3on340“ScienceandTechnology”(2010)

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Don’tknow

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

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 –  ……….

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

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

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Member States voting on EFSA scientific opinion

GMO approval: The acceptance of evidence differs across the EU

Source:EuropaBio,ApprovalsofGMOsintheEuropeanUnion,Oct.2011

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

Societal debate is not always raYonal

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

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

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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.

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

Is GM the answer?

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

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

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

Feeding a global populaYon

Africa2015 UK2015

h\p://popula3onpyramid.net/

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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

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

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

LEAFConference:Healthyfoodandfarmingforthefuture2015

CiYzens should ask poliYcians to be transparent about their moYvaYon

when they choose to ignore the scienYfic evidence

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E-mail: l.a.glover@abdn.ac.uk Twi0er: AnneGlover_EU

Thankyouforyoura\en3on!

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

h\p://scien3stsforeu.uk/