Global food project launched

A large scale research project looking at global food system resilience has been launched at the University of York.

iKnowFood, funded by the Global Food Security Programme, is a collaborative project led by the University of York, in partnership with the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool. Researchers will work alongside farmers, processors, manufacturers, retailers and consumers to understand what can be done to maintain stable levels of nutritious food supply.

Professor Bob Doherty, from the University of York and project lead, said: “The UN expects global demand for food to increase 60% by 2050, driven largely by population growth and changing dietary patterns among burgeoning middle classes in China, India and other large developing countries. At the same time, food production is under severe pressure from climate change, extreme weather, water depletion, soil degradation, resource conflict and political instability.”

Practical tools

Farmers, scientists and engineers will work together to create technologies that enable farmers to detect crop disease early and identify the best time to harvest crops. A new database of key food commodity supply chains will be established to support retailers and manufacturers. To better understand why different population groups make different food choices, health scientists will team up with psychologists and computer scientists.

Professor Doherty said: “We believe different parts of the food chain - from farmers to supermarkets to policy makers - all need to have an opportunity to share ideas and insights if we are to develop a unified understanding of food resilience. IKnowFood will provide the academic expertise and analysis to underpin these discussions, opening the possibility of new opportunities for building a more sustainable approach to food system resilience.”

IKnowFood launched on 8^th June and will be funded by more than £3m.