Trade-offs and synergies: working together to balance challenges and opportunities in UK farming

ESKTN-LEAF workshop – supported by the UK Food Chain Alliance

Food security is one of this century's key global challenges, with food producers facing a number of competing choices and compromises. This one day event will explore ‘trade-offs and synergies: working together to balance challenges and opportunities in UK farming'.

This event will provide a timely forum for key stakeholders, farmers, environmentalists, government, retailers, educationalists, researchers and agricultural input companies to identify the synergies, trade-offs and compromises required if we are to meet the challenge of increased sustainable food production over the next 30 years.

Our challenge as society is to address all these expectations, desires, wants and needs and put them into practice. The reality is that in order to meet the predicted growth in food requirements we will need to radically rethink how the food chain is structured and how we can deliver the balance between increased production and less environmental impact.

The discussion is underpinned by the premise that we cannot have it all, but, with planning, focus and direction, we can find a balance that delivers the best result - common objectives delivered through synergies and trade-offs.

The Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network (ESKTN) and LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) are well placed to facilitate and develop this debate.

Backed by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) the ESKTN have a critical role to play in developing, supporting and promoting best practice in terms of the practical application of activities and approaches - but for take-up to be successful the ESKTN will need the buy-in of the farming community.

LEAF's role in supporting farmers and industry balance agricultural production and environmental protection requires working in partnership with farm businesses and the food & environmental sector to find effective approaches that deliver. In addition LEAF's commitment to engaging the general public through their network of demonstration farms, Open Farm Sunday and the Let Nature Feed Your Senses project is key to communicating these complexities.

Including the UK Food Chain Alliance (Syngenta, ASDA, Velcourt, Volac, McCain and Yara) as hosts for the event provides an opportunity to explore the ways in which the value chain can, could and should help farmers achieve the right balance, particularly by acting as intermediaries between primary producers and consumers.

Keynote speakers who will set the context for the discussions are:

Professor Tim Benton, Leeds University, RCUK Champion for Global Food Security.

Professor Michael Winter, Director of the Centre for Rural Policy Research, ExeterUniversity, and a member of Defra's Panel of Agricultural & Environmental Economists and the National Ecosystem Assessment Expert Panel.

Peter Kendall, President of the National Farmers Union and arable farmer.

REGISTER HERE