Call to focus on food security

By Jason Major

TechNyou

Julian Cribb, author and prolific science communicator has put out the call for Australians – policy makers in particular – to make the effort to examine food production systems and act decisively on, what he sees, as the impending issue of global food insecurity, one that Australia will not be exempt from.

Cribb’s opinion piece is here

Food security is an issue TechNyou has engaged the public on, most recently with our National Science Week forum in Adelaide.  I have posted this not as a promo for Julian Cribb, his opinion and various publications on the topic, but because the points he raises, regardless of whether you agree with him, drive home what TechNyou has been harping on about for ages:  The development and use of GM crops is a complex one and in the context of global food security there are countless scientific, technical and social issues we need to overcome if this is ever to be achieved.  Transgenic (GM) crops alone are not the silver bullet but “can” play a role.

I place can in “” because the question TechNyou is exploring as a public engagement exercise is should transgenic technology play a role, and if so, how? The big picture question we look at is by what means are we prepared to achieve global food security?

Key Cribb points

Cribb makes many points about re-investment in science to help revitalise soils and improve efficiency in areas such as irrigation, fertiliser use, transport and engineering of novel crops.  But he also places great emphasis on the following:

Share knowledge: Australia has immense expertise in areas such as landcare, dryland farming, water management, drought strategy etc. We need to share it with those who need it most.

Reinvest in people: We need to train a new generation of farmer and urban food producers equipped to overcome the scarcities ahead.

Re-educate Australians about food: up to half of all the food produced in Australia is wasted or sent to landfill calling for an urgent effort to end the waste, through education, technology and recycling.

TechNyou forum

In 2011, TechNyou will introduce a forum to its website.  Food security may make a good first topic. Based on the media and public interest at events that discuss this topic I know there is loads of interest, but I fear that this interest is coming from a small community of engaged people. For the majority of Australians and most likely other well-fed westerners it is a topic that is not sufficiently palpable for them to participate in a discussion? We’ll see.