12th June 2018 Science Innovation USA
What does the farm of the future look like? Increasing automation and big data promise to revolutionise every industry, including the agricultural countryside with a tech sector that will be worth more than £136 billion globally by 2025. The UK Government recognized this early on and launched an Agri-Tech strategy in 2013 to lead on […]
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24th May 2016 Delhi, India
I was invited to a meeting of industry and academics who were focussing on translating excellent research into real world solutions. The event was held at the DST Centre for Policy Research at Panjab University. A key challenge India faces is bridging the gap between industry and researchers. This is vital in solving bigger problems […]
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16th October 2015 Science and Innovation Network
As the end of the World Expo in Milan approaches, Government and civil society leaders are gathering to mark UN World Food Day. Participating nations will show commitment to addressing the challenge of feeding the world’s growing population. It has been the central theme for this year’s Expo – and the UK’s message has been […]
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19th January 2015 New Delhi, India
The intricate world of supply chains of several foods from field to plate and the relationships between food, health and environment gets all the more fascinating if one does a comparative analysis of two countries’ food systems. This is what we attempted to do during the final quarter of the previous year with two scoping […]
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29th January 2014
This year agriculture is the main theme of the 22nd Assembly of Heads of State and Government at the African Union (AU) – the AU Summit, which is taking place this week. But African leaders are also deliberating on the peace and security of the continent. Country situations at the top of the agenda are […]
15th April 2013
Standing in his moleskins in a grove of gum trees in rural Victoria, British Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Owen Paterson looked every inch the countryman. Me, in my dark suit, not so much. He was here with scientific and policy officials to look at several aspects of Australian agriculture. The […]
15th August 2012 Washington DC, USA
You know you’re British when the first conversation starts, and continues, with the weather. I descended upon the Falkland Islands in the early afternoon to glorious sunshine and a cool breeze – exactly what I needed after a long flight full of recycled air. As soon as my ride picked me up from Mount Pleasant […]
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18th June 2012
Recent media comment on the Vatican and the Holy See has been dominated by speculation relating to the ‘Vatileaks’ scandal, or events at the IOR, the so-called ‘Vatican Bank’. This is unfortunate. Whatever the substance behind such stories, and however fascinating, there is a great deal more to the work of the global Catholic Church, […]
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16th October 2011
Today is Blog Action Day 2011 and the subject is food. Food has a huge impact on our very existence, from the state of our countryside to the length of our lives. And in recent years food security has become a major security risk for everyone, alongside terrorism and arms proliferation – a problem we […]
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