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Agriculture and HealthBBSRC perspective
Janet Allen, Director of Research BBSRC
23rd June 2010
Strategic Plan 2010 – 2015
The Age of Bioscience
Driven by new tools and technologies
….never before have researchers been able to address such a breadth and depth of biological
questions….
Strategic Plan 2010 – 2015
Food Security Bioenergy and Industrial
Biotechnology
Basic bioscience underpinning health
Three major research priorities
BBSRC funding of research
• Grants to HEIs– Project and programme (LoLa) grants Responsive Mode, – Training and skills posts (studentships, fellowships)– Industry clubs
• Institutes– John Innes Centre– Rothamsted Research– The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC)– Institute for Animal Health– Institute for Food Research– Babraham Institute– Roslin Institute (Edinburgh)– Institute for Biological and Environmental Research
(Aberystwyth)
Broadbalk yields, varieties and Broadbalk yields, varieties and major changesmajor changes
Unmanured, continuous wheat
Continuous wheat: FYM PK+144 kg N
1st wheat in rotation: FYM+spring N Best NPK fertiliser
Red R
ostock
Red C
lub
Squ. Mas
ter
Red Sta
ndard
Squ. Mast
er
Cappel
le D
esp.
Flander
s
Brim
stone
A
pollo
H
erew
ard
Courtesy of Ian Crute Introduction of: liming fungicides fallowing herbicides
Semi-dwarfvarieties
Yield is not everything
• Maintain the quality of the grain– Protein content (40% of population dependent
on cereals for protein)– Trace elements: Iron, selenium
Examples where agriculture research impacts health
• Improving quality of cereals and food– Breeding (e.g. protein content and trace elements)– GM (healthy foods: e.g. omega-3, purple tomatoes)
• Reducing dependence on pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers– Breeding resistance– GM resistance traits
• Protecting against food-borne zoonoses– Genetics of host to food-borne pathogens
Campylobacter, salmonella, E.Coli 0157
RRes have grown several thousand stearidonic acid (SDA)-enriched linseed plants, harvested the mature
seed and cold pressed the oil for subsequent analysis.
Producing novel omega-3 fatty acids in transgenic plants
Purple tomatoes
• Example of ability to develop foods that are higher in bioactive compounds - increased health benefits
• Scientists at John Innes Centre have expressed genes from snapdragon in tomatoes to grow purple fruits which are high in health-protecting anthocyanins
Global Food Security
“Food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture must remain a priority on the political agenda, to be addressed through a cross-cutting and inclusive approach, relevant to all stakeholders at global, regional and national level .”
[G8 statement July 2009]
• Heading for global shortages of food, water and energy
• Food price spikes in 2007-08 plunged millions back into hunger and triggered riots from Egypt to Bangladesh
• Wake-up call….a sign of things to come
“a perfect storm” by 2030 (John Beddington)10
Global Food Security Programme
Global Food Security is a multi-agency programme
bringing together the research interests of the Research
Councils, Executive Agencies and Government Departments
Stakeholders and the food supply chain
Themes map on to Government Strategy and Policy
• Theme 1 – Economic Resilience
• Theme 2 – Resource Efficiency*
• Theme 3 – Sustainable Production*
• Theme 4 – Sustainable, Healthy, Safe Diets
*Sustainable ecosystems are embedded in Themes 2 & 3
Research is essential to Research is essential to meet the challengemeet the challenge
• Increased production of crops, livestock, dairy and aquaculture e.g. greater resource use efficiency (more food from less input), improved genetics adapted to future climate, pest and disease control (including diagnostics)
• Reduced adverse environmental impacts e.g. lower water and energy use, reduced GHG emissions from agriculture and the supply chain
• Reduced waste throughout the supply chain e.g. tackling post-harvest losses, reduced waste in food processing and the home
• Improved understanding of the many and diverse social and economic factors e.g. international trade & aid, food choice / consumer behaviour, transport, retail, food service sector, resilient supply chains
• Improved human nutrition & food safety e.g. understanding relationship between diet & health, reducing incidences of food-borne disease
… through integrated approaches and multidisciplinary research to address these complex problems & pull research communities together
15