Increasing Agricultural Production in the UK: Constraints and Proposed Solutions

Britain needs a "new and greener" revolution if it is to increase agricultural production while protecting the environment, a chief scientist said in a farming conference held in Oxford last week. Professor John Beddington noted that "climate changes are likely to mean altered farming patterns, with summer drought and winter floods" and that the agriculture sector will need to "reduce its share of greenhouse gas emissions while safeguarding soil through improved land management practices." To this end, Beddington argued that "techniques and technologies from many disciplines, ranging from biotechnology and engineering to newer fields such as nanotechnology, will be needed."

Farmers, scientists, the food industry and the Government must also work more closely to achieve this goal, Professor David Leaver said in the conference. Leaver presented the results of a survey of 600 farmers by the National Farm Research Unit conducted in collaboration with the Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). When asked who they believe currently delivers agricultural science research to them, 60 percent of the farmers said the agricultural supply industry is the most important deliverer of science, with just 21 percent saying the Government is. In contrast to the farmers' perceptions, BBSRC pointed out in an article that the annual funding of agricultural research by the Government is currently 75 percent of the overall total of £350 million (550M USD).

"The key messages from this research are that for UK agriculture to be competitive, we need a functioning R&D chain which can deliver the new technologies needed to satisfy the food production and environmental demands of the future. This will require greater co-operation and engagement by all as well as more clarity as to how research is funded, prioritized and applied," says Professor Leaver.

Read http://www.ofc.org.uk/images/stories/File/Beddington%202010_Key%20issues%20Ag%20science.pdf and http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/media/releases/2010/100106-only-greater-agricultural-science-co-operation-will-deliver-gains.html for more information.