What has now been dubbed the “9 billion people question” looms large over our global food futures horizon. How exactly will we feed over 9 billion people by 2050, when so many people go hungry today?
Many have pointed out that there is in fact enough food for everyone today if we enact more equitable and transparent practices and policies around land and food. And others show that there is a strong role for science and evidence-based practice in cultivating crops that will produce more food (and more nutritious food) for everyone.
Of course these two routes to food security for all are not mutually exclusive- indeed they can, and should, be mutually reinforcing. However, debates on the role of science in food security have been contentious (often more like arguments), particularly when it comes to “biotechnology” and “genetic modification” (GM) – but why?*
As part of the Festival of Plants this year in Cambridge, The Humanitarian Centre is delighted to be partnering with the Sainsbury Laboratory, the Conservation Research Institute, and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative for a “mature conversation” to get to the bottom of the issue.
This Friday 16 May, the fantastic Susan Watts (previous Science Editor for Newsnight) will host “Food Security, Biotechnology & Genetic Modification- a mature conversation“. Her esteemed panelists include:
-Dr Emmanuel Okogbenin, of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation
-Dr Andrew Stirling, of the University of Sussex
-and Professor Ottoline Leyser, of the Sainsbury Laboratory at the University of Cambridge.
The panelists offer a range of views on the topic, and she will be inviting them to respond to some common concerns, to see if, together, we can’t progress from ‘To GM or not to GM?; that is the question’ to a more holistic and dynamic understanding of the range of innovations available to farmers, and the reasons those farmers may or may not use them.
Professor Leyser explains “It’s time to move beyond the hyperbole surrounding GM and ask instead how we can best use the many and diverse tools and resources available to us to address the pressing issues of global food security”.
This event is free and open to all: we want to hear your views, pre- and post- conversation, about the role that biotechnology and GM have to play in global food security, and about how we can move the conversation forward so that we can work together, instead of at odds.
We especially welcome people who have experience of food security issues in other parts of the world (and particularly in developing countries where people are most vulnerable to food insecurity), recognising the importance of ensuring that when we’re talking about science and technology, we’re also talking about the people who use them.
To get some ideas flowing before the event, check out this video from the B4FA (Biosciences For Farming in Africa) African Media Fellows about the ways that their involvement with scientists working in the field has influenced their thoughts about the future of African agriculture:
We look forward to seeing you this Friday! Don’t forget to register at: http://food-security.
To learn about other upcoming events in the Global Food Futures Year, click here.
*GM in particular has tended to dominate these debates, drawing out strong and emotional responses from both “sides” and often pushing other kinds of scientific innovations out of the spotlight, when in reality the landscape much more complex. For an accessible overview of the politics surrounding these issues, see Bhashar Vira and David Nally’s excellent piece in this year’s Cambridge International Development Report (page 28).
Trackbacks & Pingbacks