Food riots could become commonplace unless the
government invests at least £100m in increasing agricultural
production, a leading scientist has warned.
In an interview with the BBC, professor Douglas Kell of the
Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council said £100m was needed to boost
research in biotechnology if farmers were to produce sufficient
food to meet global demand.
"There is a significant likelihood that, without investing in
the science to deliver higher crop yields, we will not have the
kinds of food levels we need to ensure food security," Prof Kell
said.
"Last year, in Indonesia and Mexico, there were food riots," he
said, adding that unrest would spread if there was not a major
effort to develop agricultural science.
"This makes it sound rather dramatic but if I have to choose
between 'yes' and 'no' - the answer is 'yes'".
Prof Kell's warning was founded on predictions that food
consumption would jump 50% by 2030 as the world population exceeded
8.3bn.
"There is a significant likelihood that, without investing in
the science to deliver higher crop yields, we will not have the
kinds of food levels we need to ensure food security," Prof Kell he
said.
The onus was on the UK because it led the world in this field,
he said in the interview.
"The UK has a particularly strong science base in plant and
microbial science and that puts us in a particularly good place to
help us feed the world."