Agriculture and Health: Perspective from the UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council - Professor Janet Allen, BBSRC

Agriculture and HealthBBSRC perspective

Janet Allen, Director of Research BBSRC

23rd June 2010

Strategic Plan 2010 – 2015

The Age of Bioscience

Driven by new tools and technologies

….never before have researchers been able to address such a breadth and depth of biological

questions….

Strategic Plan 2010 – 2015

Food Security Bioenergy and Industrial

Biotechnology

Basic bioscience underpinning health

Three major research priorities

BBSRC funding of research

• Grants to HEIs– Project and programme (LoLa) grants Responsive Mode, – Training and skills posts (studentships, fellowships)– Industry clubs

• Institutes– John Innes Centre– Rothamsted Research– The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC)– Institute for Animal Health– Institute for Food Research– Babraham Institute– Roslin Institute (Edinburgh)– Institute for Biological and Environmental Research

(Aberystwyth)

Broadbalk yields, varieties and Broadbalk yields, varieties and major changesmajor changes

Unmanured, continuous wheat

Continuous wheat: FYM PK+144 kg N

1st wheat in rotation: FYM+spring N Best NPK fertiliser

Red R

ostock

Red C

lub

Squ. Mas

ter

Red Sta

ndard

Squ. Mast

er

Cappel

le D

esp.

Flander

s

Brim

stone

A

pollo

H

erew

ard

Courtesy of Ian Crute Introduction of: liming fungicides fallowing herbicides

Semi-dwarfvarieties

Yield is not everything

• Maintain the quality of the grain– Protein content (40% of population dependent

on cereals for protein)– Trace elements: Iron, selenium

Examples where agriculture research impacts health

• Improving quality of cereals and food– Breeding (e.g. protein content and trace elements)– GM (healthy foods: e.g. omega-3, purple tomatoes)

• Reducing dependence on pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers– Breeding resistance– GM resistance traits

• Protecting against food-borne zoonoses– Genetics of host to food-borne pathogens

Campylobacter, salmonella, E.Coli 0157

RRes have grown several thousand stearidonic acid (SDA)-enriched linseed plants, harvested the mature

seed and cold pressed the oil for subsequent analysis.

Producing novel omega-3 fatty acids in transgenic plants

Purple tomatoes

• Example of ability to develop foods that are higher in bioactive compounds - increased health benefits

• Scientists at John Innes Centre have expressed genes from snapdragon in tomatoes to grow purple fruits which are high in health-protecting anthocyanins

Global Food Security

“Food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture must remain a priority on the political agenda, to be addressed through a cross-cutting and inclusive approach, relevant to all stakeholders at global, regional and national level .”

[G8 statement July 2009]

• Heading for global shortages of food, water and energy

• Food price spikes in 2007-08 plunged millions back into hunger and triggered riots from Egypt to Bangladesh

• Wake-up call….a sign of things to come

“a perfect storm” by 2030 (John Beddington)10

Global Food Security Programme

Global Food Security is a multi-agency programme

bringing together the research interests of the Research

Councils, Executive Agencies and Government Departments

Stakeholders and the food supply chain

Themes map on to Government Strategy and Policy

• Theme 1 – Economic Resilience

• Theme 2 – Resource Efficiency*

• Theme 3 – Sustainable Production*

• Theme 4 – Sustainable, Healthy, Safe Diets

*Sustainable ecosystems are embedded in Themes 2 & 3

Research is essential to Research is essential to meet the challengemeet the challenge

• Increased production of crops, livestock, dairy and aquaculture e.g. greater resource use efficiency (more food from less input), improved genetics adapted to future climate, pest and disease control (including diagnostics)

• Reduced adverse environmental impacts e.g. lower water and energy use, reduced GHG emissions from agriculture and the supply chain

• Reduced waste throughout the supply chain e.g. tackling post-harvest losses, reduced waste in food processing and the home

• Improved understanding of the many and diverse social and economic factors e.g. international trade & aid, food choice / consumer behaviour, transport, retail, food service sector, resilient supply chains

• Improved human nutrition & food safety e.g. understanding relationship between diet & health, reducing incidences of food-borne disease

… through integrated approaches and multidisciplinary research to address these complex problems & pull research communities together

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