End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
Food production is central to our region's economy. Greater Lincolnshire produces an eighth of England's food, and the food sector from farm to fork supports 75,000 jobs (18% of the food-sector workforce). We continue to play our part in supporting Lincolnshire in its bid to become a top 10 global food cluster through the UK Food Valley programme. We have invested in two sector-leading institutes to help this and to support our own ambition to become global leaders in agri-food technology. These are the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology (LIAT) and the National Centre for Food Manufacturing (NCFM).
The University has been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its work supporting the success and sustainability of the UK’s food and farming industries through innovations in research, education, and technology.
Both LIAT and NCFM collaborate with governments, businesses, and NGOs locally and globally to maximise the application of technology in the efficient production of nutritious and sustainable food and to influence relevant policy. They frequently offer opportunities for local farmers and businesses to learn from and contribute to research programmes, with regular events such as the ‘Breakfast Briefings’, open to all who are interested in learning from practitioners and researchers. They also share knowledge through other major local significant events, including The Lincolnshire Show which is attended by schools, families, and farmers.
Our annual Lambing Sunday offers visitors an insight into our sustainable farming ethos and is popular locally, as are open days for farmers, businesses, and policymakers. Our on-campus food outlets use farm-produced lamb and beef where possible, as part of a range of options which include vegetarian, gluten-free, and other food diets. We also measure food waste and are taking steps to reduce it.
In view of current challenges in recruiting workers in agriculture and horticulture and the increased capability of robotic systems, Professor Simon Pearson, Director of LIAT, was asked by DEFRA to conduct a review of automation in horticulture and its ability to contribute to food security and food production. This was published in July 2022 and has been influential in shaping DEFRA policy.
LIAT is educating the next generation of agri-food technologists through its popular MSc in Agri-Food Technology, delivered to around 100 students annually, primarily from India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Graduates have gone on to take key roles in the food industry in the UK and overseas. It has also delivered a significant proportion of the UK’s agronomy training over the past 10 years through BASIS and FACTS courses.
Our National Centre for Food Manufacturing has secured part of the £220 million Growth Renewal Fund and will be used to position Grimsby as a global centre for seafood innovation and education. Grimsby and the surrounding area will benefit from almost £500,000 to develop programmes that will grow the local seafood industry with improved skills, technology, and innovation. It will work alongside the UK Food Valley Pilot (Seafood).
The project will address some of the industries main challenges, including the drive for sustainability, the need to digitalise, and moving towards carbon reduction. Eligible businesses can apply to receive an innovation and support package, along with an average of 12 hours one-to-one business support. Seafood businesses also have the opportunity to receive a grant of between £3,000 and £9,999 to support activities that improve productivity and efficiency.
Robot Highways, which is cited as Innovate UK's flagship project, is a joint vision for the future of soft fruit farming. It will be the largest known global demonstration of robotic and autonomous technologies that fuse multiple application technologies across a single farming system.
Our Department of Geography is leading an innovative project examining the historical context of food insecurity in Africa. This project begins to redress the ‘compression’ of the colonial experience in Africa by presenting a new database of foodstuffs and food systems spanning over three centuries – from 1497 to 1840 – for the eastern seaboard of Africa and adjacent inland areas. The database, the first of its kind in Africa, contains information on the presence or absence and relative importance of foodstuffs and cultivation practices for 269 sites across the region, each identified by in-depth historical analysis of cartographic, textual, and linguistic evidence.
The data has provided evidence of long-term and abrupt shifts in agriculture and diets, but also of resistance, resilience, and continuity in food systems. The project opens new horizons in a range of disciplines and sparks new debates within and beyond the immediate field of study, including whether and how modern experiences of food (in)security and climate change impacts vary in ways that align with historical patterns of capitalism and colonialism.
Professor Simon Pearson is Director of the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology, and his passion for food production and innovative research approaches is helping to drive productivity across the agri-food sector.
We had 42 papers relevant to this SDG in 2023 and 25 in 2022. Highlights include:
For 2022: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33900-x
Magnone, D. et al. (2022) The impact of phosphorus on projected Sub-Saharan Africa food security futures Nature Communications 13
For 2023: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-023-00879-7
Hannaford, M.J. (2023) Deep histories of food systems in Eastern Africa and current patterns of food insecurity. Nature Food 4 949–960
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.