The Food Security and Land Research Alliance was launched at the UK House of Commons last October 26, 2011. The Alliance is supported by experts from Universities of Exeter and Bristol, and Rothamsted Research. It aims to establish the Southwest of England as a center of global significance in the field of food security and land research. To feed the world population that is nearly 7 billion, the Alliance prioritizes on the following projects:

• Finding wheat varieties that can stand the heat of global warming
• A cropping system to double maize yields
• Bringing previously unusable agricultural land into production
• Working with farmers to find solutions to dairy cattle lameness and feather-pecking in laying hens
• Improving controls of irrigation systems to save water

"Our three institutions are strongly placed to address this challenge through world-class research. Together we hold a huge range of expertise, encompassing bioscientists engaged in tackling crop diseases, leading work on farm animal welfare, climate change science, soil and nutrients science, and the full breadth of economic, social science and humanities," said Professor Alistair Hetherington, Faculty of Science Research Director at the University of Bristol.

Read the media release at http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/food-security/2011/111026-pr-uk-scientists-to-help-feed.aspx.