Food and Farming                            

As global population rises and our valuable natural resources are under increasing pressure, the need to find intelligent ways of balancing production, consumption and environmental protection are critical.

In recent years there have been food riots around the world as a result of food shortages and rising costs, which are impacting particularly on the poor. There are also concerns about UK food security and therefore Government policy is emphasising production.  So what has driven these changes?

A Perfect Storm

Several factors are coming together that are driving up the price of food across the world and creating what some see as a perfect storm.

·       A growing demand for food and meat, especially in the emerging economies of China and India.

·       A growing demand for energy across the world which means agricultural land is being used to grow energy crops. Even in Yorkshire wheat is being grown to produce bio ethanol and oil seed rape is being grown to produce bio diesel.

·       In addition, there is the threat of climate change and pressure on water supplies.

Our Beautiful Planet

We live on a beautiful yet fragile planet, where our very existence is dependent on a few inches of top soil, rain and sunshine.

Recently the government's chief scientist Professor John Beddington delivered what he called a 'gloomy, frightening but optimistic' presentation on these challenges.
Focusing on population increase and climate change, Professor Beddington said food, water and energy poverty remain the fundamental challenges and that 'climate smart agriculture' was needed now. He went on to outline the growing gap between the world's current water supply and the future needs. About 40 per cent more water will be needed by 2030.
He added that the world's population was likely to reach nine billion before 2050.
"Business as usual in the agricultural industry to meet the burgeoning population and demand on resources is going to exacerbate climate change," he said.
"Climate change is happening and it will continue to happen. People have often said that scientists exaggerate this to get research projects, but there’s an enormous body of evidence to show that it's happening."
He condemned the thwarted Rothamsted Research Station GM protestors, saying the science being trialled at the station was 'exciting' and that it was 'very sad that a group felt it should disrupt it'.


The responsibility for change lies both with farmers and consumers.

·       On the one hand famers need to embrace best agricultural practice and modern technologies to ensure optimum levels of production in the most environmentally sustainable way.

·       On the other hand as consumers we need to make intelligent purchasing decisions, purchasing food items with the lowest environmental impact and which have been produced in the most efficient manner.

Sustainable Farming

The good news is that British farmers are some of the best in the world producing quality food to high standards of animal welfare and the environment. They use modern technology with increasing precision and do not use more chemicals than are necessary as they are simply too expensive; alongside their desire to protect and respect the nature and landscape around their land.

Many British farmers are also harnessing energy from the land, the sun and wind to produce electricity and heat as well as fuels for vehicles, homes and businesses. British farmers are also passionate about their animals. That’s why our animal welfare standards are amongst the highest in the world.

A small percentage of British farmers farm organically, however the potential for organic production is limited, as Natasha Gilbert writing in Nature highlights; “Crop yields from organic farming are as much as 34% lower than those from comparable conventional farming practices, the analysis finds. Organic agriculture performs particularly poorly for vegetables and some cereal crops such as wheat, which make up the lion’s share of the food consumed around the world.”

Therefore solely relying on organic methods is not going to produce the food and raw materials the world needs, so would leave many people hungry or paying prices for food they could not afford.

Food Miles
Whilst it might be attractive to enjoy green beans and sugar snap peas and strawberries throughout the year, flying these in to the UK gives them a significant carbon footprint; so it is more environmentally sustainable to choose seasonal vegetables and fruit produced in the UK.
At the same time food miles do not give the whole picture of the sustainability of produce. For example bananas produced in the West Indies and transported in a modern freight ship are likely have a lower carbon foot print than tomatoes produced in a greenhouse heated by oil in the UK.

What we can all do

·       Chose local and in season produce.

·       Look out for labels, such as the Red Tractor, LEAF Marque and the Lion on eggs.

·       Ask our retailers, restaurants and pubs where their food comes from

·       Visit the local countryside for a walk or go on a farm day on Open Farm Sunday held each year in June.