At their inaugural meeting, the Global Food Security Science Advisory Group analysed recent events and identified a set of 10 priority research questions to address the food security challenge. Professor Tim Benton from the University of Leeds and chair of the advisory group, and the Global Food Security (GFS) programme’s Sian Williams explore the evolving research landscape.
The question of how to transform the food system to provide healthy diets for all, sustainably, is a complex one, for which there is no quick-fix. This challenge is compounded by the fact that the food system is also highly dynamic and continually evolving under the influence of a large number of both local and global drivers. This means that while we might make positive strides on one aspect, suddenly something game-changing can happen elsewhere, altering the nature of the challenge as a whole and therefore the way it must be approached.
For example, what does the Paris climate deal imply for how we address global nutrition? Will big data change global diets? And does political change in one country have knock-on effects for food markets on the other side of the world?