Agro-food industry unites on sustainable supply issues
At the agricultural industry event CropWorld Global in Amsterdam, The Coca-Cola Company and the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) joined with BASF, Bayer CropScience and Lindsay Irrigation, among others, to form the CropWorld Global Steering & Advisory Committee.
The committee includes government and agency representatives, such as European MP Robert Sturdy, the British Crop Protection Council’s Dr Colin Roscoe, and Dr Julian Smith, the FERAsector leader in international development and food and supply chain. Its intention is to identify new ways to produce sustainable food.
Initiatives span the supply chain, and include crop protection, water and irrigation and other issues considered crucial for reducing waste and increasing productivity.
“With the drivers of climate adaptation, increasing population and personal food choice, we increasingly need to value food as a one-world resource,” said committee member Dr Julian Smith of FERA.
“For instance, the UK, although a developed country, is increasingly dependent on overseas food sources, notably of developing nations and we must address how we meet this challenge, notwithstanding the imperative to address food insecurity and poverty within developing nations.”
The committee has identified several key themes it wishes to address: decreasing the yield gap, increasing supply, developing sustainable crops, reducing water and waste issues, and implementing a responsible supply chain.
Director of global regulatory and government affairs at BASF Dr Maximilian Safarpour said: "As we consider the rapidly expanding world population and the ever increasing demand for an abundant, healthy, and affordable food supply; it will be essential for industry, government, and other stakeholders to find new innovative ways of working together to yield sustainable agricultural solutions for the future."
