Category Archives: Food Security
Personal perspectives in the life sciences for the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary
As part of its 350th anniversary celebrations, the Royal Society has invited leading scientists to contribute to a special issue of their journal Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B: Environment and Evolution with their personal analysis of areas of high current … Continue reading
Setting Food Policy to 2030
The Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn MP, and Shadow Environment Secretary, Nick Herbert MP, will both address the Oxford Farming Conference today, setting out their respective parties’ policies with regard to food and farming. Nick Herbert is due to announce that … Continue reading
Reaping the Benefits
Following the Parliamentary and Technology Committee’s meeting this week, focusing on GM technology in crop production, I took the time to read the Royal Society’s recent report; “Reaping the benefits: science and the sustainable intensification of global agriculture“, which was … Continue reading
Come back GM: all is forgiven?
The BES Policy Team last night attended a meeting of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee exploring GM technology. Entitled, ‘Come back GM, all is forgiven?’, the Chair, Ian Taylor MP, made it clear that the question mark was there for … Continue reading
GM crops and food security: curing the world’s growing pains?
The Science Team at the British Library is organising an event at the Library’s conference centre on 21st January 2010 (18.00 – 20.30) entitled: GM crops and food security: curing the world’s growing pains? Professor Rosie Hails, Centre for Ecology … Continue reading
Defra Launches Consultation on the Future of UK Food Policy
The Government today launched a consultation on what a secure food system in the UK should look like by 2030. After last year’s sudden jump in food and oil prices, as well as growing appreciation of the future impacts of … Continue reading
EFRA Committee Publish Report on Food Security
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee has today published a report examining the UK contribution to ensuring food security globally to 2050. “Securing food supplies up to 2050: the challenges for the UK” urges Defra to take … Continue reading
Reducing Agriculture’s Ecological Footprint
A new study published in Food Policy and reported in this week’s EU science policy digest; ‘Science for Environment Policy’, suggests that subsidies from Governments could play a key role in helping to reduce the ‘ecological footprint’ of food production. … Continue reading
Historical Trends Show Food Security Threatened by Climate Change
Research published recently in Science illustrates the destabilising effect which extreme weather events have on agricultural productivity, and predicts that without significant investment now in adaptation measures, climate change will lead to major food crises in the next 100 years. … Continue reading
World Leaders Meet in Japan for G8 Summit
The leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) most industrialised nations meet in Japan today to discuss the challenges posed to global development by climate change, rising food prices and escalating energy costs. UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has called … Continue reading