20 June 2013
Research bodies form new alliance to address global challenge on food
Two universities and a major research provider are joining forces to position Scotland at the forefront of the global
challenge to feed, sustainably, a growing world population.
The vision is to build an alliance of excellence which brings together researchers from different disciplines to tackle
the challenges of sustainable food production, the depletion of natural resources including productive land, water and nutrients,
and the impacts of climate change on society.
The Scottish Food Security Alliance - Crops draws together expertise from three leading research organisations - the
Universities of Aberdeen and Dundee and the James Hutton Institute - to create a critical mass of internationally-recognised
excellence in crop science, soil science, environmental modelling, and human nutrition.
The Alliance will be formally launched on Thursday 20 June at The Royal Highland Show in Ingliston by the Chief Executive
of Scotland Food & Drink, James Withers. Welcoming the initiative James said: "Food and drink is a national success story just
now. The industry has serious growth ambitions, looking to boost sales within the UK and double our exports over a ten-year
period."
"However, there are challenges in a fast-changing world. How do we grow sustainably in a world of increasingly finite
resource? As Scotland looks to produce more, with less resources, it has never been more important for our leading universities
and research institutes to collaborate. The Food Security Alliance is timely and exciting. The food and drink industry needs
armed with emerging science and understanding. With that, we'll play our part in rising to the food security challenge and,
in so doing, secure economic success for Scotland too."
Members of the Alliance will collaborate on research projects to enhance crop yield and optimise resources by integrating
crop and soil science, improve nutritional quality and safety in the food chain, assess the impacts of farming on the environment,
and harness the productive potential of diverse kinds of landscape.
The aim will be to provide practical solutions for the agricultural industry, and the knowledge which will inform decisions by
policy-makers and funding bodies.
The research will be initially around three broad areas of joint activity, in which the partners have international strength
and funded collaborations already in place. These are:
- Plant crop science: translating basic research on crops into products and production systems
- Plant-soil interface: looking at the activity of soil microbes with the aim of improving the efficiency of fertilisers
- Food systems: environmental and social factors necessary for a sustainable and secure supply of safe, nutritious, affordable
and high-quality food.
The Alliance aims to deliver this by providing a vibrant hub attracting excellent collaborations that focus on relevant and
practical outcomes, providing access to collective facilities, funding joint research studentships and resourcing to enable the
exploration of new opportunities and the shaping of funding and policy agendas.
Welcoming the launch of the Alliance, Professor Iain Gordon, Chief Executive of the James Hutton Institute, said: 'The world's
population is growing, and as the wealth of people in development increases the demands for food will place unprecedented
pressure on the plant's resources. Given the relationship between lack of access to affordable food and political instability,
food security is being given a high priority on global and national political agendas. This exciting new alliance will enable
us to build on and strengthen existing collaborations to develop new areas of research as we work together to tackle one of the
biggest challenges of our time. Sustainable intensification of agriculture, producing more food from the same resources, is
key to achieving this and will provide the focus for much of our work.'
Professor John Connell, Vice Principal for Research at the University of Dundee welcomed the development of this new
collaboration. He said "Food security is a vital issue for society internationally, and is an area where Scotland can provide
important leadership. The partnership within the Alliance builds on the strengths of the institutions concerned, and will lead
to increased collaboration among us, and with external agencies. The Alliance offers substantial opportunities to make a real
difference in understanding the risks to food supply worldwide and how the academic sector can develop novel solutions. The
University of Dundee is wholly committed to this venture, and will work with its partners to ensure that the collaboration is
successful."
Professor Peter Morgan, Vice-Principal and Director of the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Aberdeen
said: 'One of today's global challenges is the need to increase world food production to feed the burgeoning world population.
Increasing crop production and yield is at the centre of meeting this need, but it also requires a robust understanding of soil
fertility and chemistry as well as the feed through to human nutrition. Addressing this challenge in a sustainable way against a
background of climate change, and big changes in society, behaviours and expectations requires new thinking, scientific rigour,
and above all collaborative working. This new alliance brings together three organisations to enhance critical mass and research
strength in the key areas needed to address the Food Security challenge. This is a real alliance of excellence to be built on
for the benefit not only of Scotland but for our global population today and tomorrow.'
More information is available at www.sfsa-crops.org
MEDIA CONTACTS
At the venue: Dr Sue Bird, University of Aberdeen mob 07710 295107
University of Aberdeen: Shaunagh Kirby, tel 01224 273108 mob 07825 734120 s.kirby@abdn.ac.uk
James Hutton Institute: Bernardo Rodriguez-Salcedo, tel 01224 395089 mob 07791 193918
bernardo.rodriguez-salcedo@hutton.ac.uk
University of Dundee: Roddy Isles, tel 01382 384910 mob 07800 581902 r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
The James Hutton Institute is a world-leading, multi-site scientific organisation encompassing a distinctive range of
integrated strengths in land, crop, waters, environmental and socio-economic science. It undertakes research for customers
including the Scottish and UK Governments, the EU and other organisations worldwide. The institute has a staff of nearly 600
and 125 PhD students. The Institute organises its research through seven principal themes: Safeguarding Natural Capital, Enhancing
Crop Productivity and Utilisation, Delivering Sustainable Production Systems, Controlling Weeds, Pests and Diseases, Managing
Catchments and Coasts, Realising Land's Potential and Nurturing Vibrant and Low Carbon Communities. See www.hutton.ac.uk for
further details.
The University of Dundee is one of Scotland's leading institutions and one of the world's top 250 universities. Dundee is
internationally recognised for the quality of its teaching and research, spread across four Colleges - Arts & Social Sciences;
Art, Science & Engineering; Life Sciences; and Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing. The University is a major employer in the east
of Scotland and a hub for investment in biotechnology and the creative industries. Dundee was voted best in the UK for student
experience in the 2012 Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey. See www.dundee.ac.uk
for further details.
The University of Aberdeen has a strong national and international reputation for academic strength. Aberdeen academics and
alumni have pioneered many developments in medicine, science, social sciences and humanities, and five Nobel Laureates are
associated with the University. In all research areas, the University engages with policy, industry and public audiences to
encourage and inform public debate, and stimulate interdisciplinary, joined-up action to address the big issues and questions
facing today's global community. Aberdeen is named among the top 100 higher education institutions in the world for scientific
performance in the 2013 Leiden rankings. See www.abdn.ac.uk for further details.
For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07800 581902 |
