Blog: Farming is a sector worth investing in

She said:

Statistics are vital – I'm not just saying that because I worked with numbers in my scientific research.

If industry leaders are going to make the case for innovation and sustainable intensification to farmers, it’s essential that productive potential and profitability are part of the picture. Grounding discussions in the commercial context and understanding the bigger picture using facts and figures is so important. We must take these statistics into account if we are to understand how farm businesses are performing and whether measures to address key challenges are actually working.

At this morning’s ‘Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum’ seminar on science and policy in food and agriculture, I quizzed a well-informed audience of thought leaders and opinion formers on the stats behind the capabilities and challenges in UK agriculture.

Take the quiz yourself!

What do the stats on the quiz tell us?
• Agri-food is a strong sector that is worth investing in, both in research and  good regulation.
• There must be more efforts made to reduce the trade deficit and promote competitiveness.
• Resilience to changing and volatile conditions  - that’s economic, climatic and regulatory -  requires investment from government and industry at national and local levels

On the last point, we know that agricultural technology is the answer to increasing farming’s resilience to volatile weather and many other production challenges. Technology is an integral part of modern farming as it is in modern life. And it has its own opportunities, challenges and barriers.