More intensive farming in productive areas is how the world will feed a rising population, according to Sir Charles Godfray, who offered a frank talk in Aberdeen on the future of food.

Alongside feeding the world, the Oxford academic believed that areas which produce fewer calories of food should focus more on environmental goals.

Organic farmer Denis Walton of Peelham Farm, who sells produce direct to consumers, also addressed the audience, calling for more local food and community-led projects.

The SRUC-hosted talk challenged the speaker and audience on how to feed a growing global population while also saving the planet.

Godfray, who chairs the Defra ministry science advisory council, said he was more optimistic about the future global population now than he was 40 years ago.

The reason many people are starving in the world today is due to civil conflict and war and not farmers’ inability to produce enough food

He believed that the population growth will decrease and eventually level off, with the majority of future growth coming from Sub-Saharan Africa.

He believed the most effective way to reduce population growth was to bring people out of poverty.

He was also upbeat about the ability to feed the current population.

The reason many people are starving in the world today is due to civil conflict and war and not farmers’ inability to produce enough food.

However, Godfray did concede that there was not enough progress in under-nutrition, which was a big issue in large parts of the world.

Other rich and middle income countries were increasingly damaged by obesity.

Less meat

To feed people and not wreck the environment, Godfray believes we need to change our diet which could involve eating less meat but not cutting it out all together.

The academic believes modern politics is finding it harder to make collective decisions

However, this is not enough to save the planet and keep people fed, as he believes “much, much harder measures” are needed.

The academic believes modern politics is finding it harder to make collective decisions, saying: “Politicians know what they need to do, they just don’t know how to get elected again once they have done it.”

Questions

Northeast MSP Stuart Stevenson reminded the audience that Scotland was healthiest during rationing and if greater government control over diets would help sustainable food consumption and help the planet. However, he felt politicians govern on behalf of the population and dramatic changes need public backing.