Zinc deficiency affects around 17% of the world’s population, mostly in developing countries. In Pakistan, the most recent national nutrition survey indicated that over 40% of women are zinc deficient. Could using a new type of flour in cooking help tackle this deficiency?
The Asterix fans amongst you will know that the Gauls have only one fear, namely that the sky may fall on their heads tomorrow. As Chief Vitalstatistix says, “but tomorrow never comes”. Whilst the Chief is of course right, we should remember that ‘tomorrow’ is always less than 24 hours away. Wearing a food systems hat, we need to take the threat of the sky falling in tomorrow more seriously.
A new interdisciplinary Taskforce has been initiated to advance thinking on Paris-compliant healthy food systems through a futures mapping exercise. This work will develop a clearer picture of what a Paris-compliant healthy food system might look like in practice, identifying a number of plausible futures, the food system transformation pathways for achieving these scenarios and the associated research and policy challenges.
At their inaugural meeting, the Global Food Security Science Advisory Group analysed recent events and identified a set of 10 priority research questions to address the food security challenge. Professor Tim Benton from the University of Leeds and chair of the advisory group, and the Global Food Security (GFS) programme’s Sian Williams explore the evolving research landscape.
Following the previous blog from Riaz Bhunnoo, Head of Global Food Security, on the opportunity for further research into food security using a ‘food systems’ approach, Professor Alastair Ager, Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for International Development (DFID) explains why there is a need for this cross-cutting research and the challenges he hopes this will address.
The new GCRF hubs call is a huge investment in interdisciplinary research, with plans to fund a dozen £8 million-£20 million grants to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing developing countries. Riaz Bhunnoo, Head of Global Food Security, explains why this presents a great opportunity for research in food security, which cuts across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and necessitates a ‘food systems’ approach.
The 17 SDGs were adopted by the UN in 2015 with the aim of driving the implementation of global sustainable development. This report details discussion at an industry focused workshop exploring how far UK food retail and manufacturing businesses are prepared for and engaged with the SDGs, and how research might help them play their part in meeting the goals.
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CRISPR-Cas9 technology provides an extremely precise and powerful tool for modifying genomes with countless potential applications, many of which are in agriculture. The University of Warwick’s Jessica Finch considers what this might mean for food security.
The TempAg Governing Board met in Paris to discuss outcomes and recommendations from the Foresight workshop report, and how these recommendations could develop into future activity. Professor Peter Gregory, who has chaired TempAg since its inception, announced that he will be stepping down as TempAg Chair and will be replaced by Professor Tim Benton (University of Leeds).
This project aims to model the trade-offs between health and environmental impact associated with different food stuffs and different diets. This project will construct a decision support tool that will enable identification of healthy and sustainable diets that are achievable through different policy options and direct interventions on diet in the UK.
TempAg held a workshop in London to review key issues for sustainable agriculture in temperate countries and identify areas for cross-country collaboration. Delegates from 14 temperate countries participated, with expertise across academia, policy, industry and the science-policy interface.
