Global Food Security and STFC’s Science Programme, National Facilities and Laboratories

The STFC Futures and Global Challenge Programmes are exploring the existing and potential capability of the whole STFC community in Global Food Security, with the aim of broadening the impact of STFC’s science and technology into areas that are strategically important to the UK. In support of this a survey is being run to build knowledge and raise awareness of expertise and research in the STFC-funded community that can be applied to Global Food Security. The results will be presented at an event later in the year and used to shape future funding calls.

Please consider the challenges and STFC capabilities highlighted in this presentation:

http://www.stfc.ac.uk/files/3484/3484_res_1.pdf

based on an indicative model developed by the Global Food Security Programme and then complete the survey at:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GFS_and_STFC

 

Background

The UK’s multi-agency Global Food Security programme brings together the interests of the Research Councils, Executive Agencies and Government Departments to meet the challenge of providing the world’s growing population with a sustainable, secure supply of nutritious food from less land and using fewer inputs. The challenges around resilience of the UK food system in a global context are inherently complex and interconnected, requiring interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder approaches to address them.
Global Food Security has been identified as a challenge where STFC can contribute key capabilities in:

• HPC: modelling and optimising
• Facilities: researching processes and materials
• Remote and in-situ sensing: data, platforms, technologies
• Robotics and autonomous systems

Food security arises from a well-functioning, resilient food system and its associated activities and outcomes. The food system is highly interconnected and operates across a range of spatial and temporal scales. The interests of Global Food Security Programme partners and stakeholders span the whole food system. A food system perspective helps to identify the many biophysical, social and economic interactions across a range of drivers and scales that determine food security.