More intensive farming in productive areas is how the world will feed a rising population, Oxford academic Sir Charles Godfray, told a Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) event in Aberdeen this week.

The event challenged the speakers and audience to address how to feed a growing global population while also saving the planet.

Godfray, who chairs the Defra science advisory council, told the audience that areas which produce fewer calories of food should focus more on environmental goals.

He also believes that we need to change our diet, and this could involve eating less meat, but not cutting it out altogether.

However, in addition “much, much harder measures” are needed said Godfray.

“Politicians know what they need to do, they just don’t know how to get elected again once they have done it” he suggested.

Population

On global population growth Godfray believes it will eventually start to level off. The majority of future growth will come from sub-Saharan Africa. The most effective way to reduce population growth was to bring people out of poverty said Godfray.

He was also upbeat about the ability to feed the current world population, pointing out that the reason many people are starving in the world today is due to civil conflict and war and not farmers’ ability to produce enough food.

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

By contrast, rich and middle income countries were increasingly having problems with obesity.