Public Lecture 6.30 pm
Climate change is becoming an increasing challenge to food production, with the amount of land and water available for production limited. At the same time, the world is becoming more populated with people who are wealthier and demanding more food. The food system provides benefits for many. In the developed world, food is typically super-abundant and readily available. Despite this, over 800 million people are starving on a daily basis. Therefore, at a population level we over-consume and waste a significant proportion of the food we buy.
Join Professor Tim Benton as he explores the challenges of sustainably and equitably providing food for a growing world population. This involves finding ways to sustainably increase food production and recognising that, for most, we live in a globalised food system where production and consumption can occur far apart. In addition, with food-related illnesses becoming a major driver of global mortality for those who over and under consume calories, solutions involve better nutrition, changing consumption patterns and reducing waste: the “sustainable nutrition” agenda. Innovative approaches to production, storage, manufacture, retail and consumption are needed and will require input from science, technology and social science. ‘Feeding the world’, and doing it sustainably is a complex and pressing global challenge, but research has an important role to play.
Professor Tim Benton is the Champion for the UK’s Global Food Security(GFS) programme, leading, facilitating and coordinating its activities. GFS is a partnership of the UK’s main public funders of research in food security, including the research councils and government departments (including Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs, International Development, Health and Business, Innovation and Skills). The role of GFS is to ensure that strategically important research in this area is undertaken, and to add value to research via interdisciplinary collaboration, alignment and engagement of different communities of stakeholders. Tim is also a leading researcher based at the University of Leeds, focussing on agri-environment interactions and finding ways to make agricultural production more sustainable.
Climate change is becoming an increasing challenge to food production, with the amount of land and water available for production limited. At the same time, the world is becoming more populated with people who are wealthier and demanding more food. The food system provides benefits for many. In the developed world, food is typically super-abundant and readily available. Despite this, over 800 million people are starving on a daily basis. Therefore, at a population level we over-consume and waste a significant proportion of the food we buy.
Join Professor Tim Benton as he explores the challenges of sustainably and equitably providing food for a growing world population. This involves finding ways to sustainably increase food production and recognising that, for most, we live in a globalised food system where production and consumption can occur far apart. In addition, with food-related illnesses becoming a major driver of global mortality for those who over and under consume calories, solutions involve better nutrition, changing consumption patterns and reducing waste: the “sustainable nutrition” agenda. Innovative approaches to production, storage, manufacture, retail and consumption are needed and will require input from science, technology and social science. ‘Feeding the world’, and doing it sustainably is a complex and pressing global challenge, but research has an important role to play.
Professor Tim Benton is the Champion for the UK’s Global Food Security(GFS) programme, leading, facilitating and coordinating its activities. GFS is a partnership of the UK’s main public funders of research in food security, including the research councils and government departments (including Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs, International Development, Health and Business, Innovation and Skills). The role of GFS is to ensure that strategically important research in this area is undertaken, and to add value to research via interdisciplinary collaboration, alignment and engagement of different communities of stakeholders. Tim is also a leading researcher based at the University of Leeds, focussing on agri-environment interactions and finding ways to make agricultural production more sustainable.
