Margaret A. Gilliam Lecture Series in Food Security: Future Challenges in Food and Agriculture

Guest speaker: Dr. Richard Godwin, PhD, Dr(hc), DSc,  FREng,  Hon FIAgrE, Hon FRASE, Fellow ASABE and Fellow RAS
Professor, Cranfield University and Harper Adams University, UK

With global population increase, changes in size and nature of per capita demand, national and international governance of the food system, climate change, competition for key resources and changes in values and ethical stances of consumers, we are faced with the challenges of balancing future demand and supply sustainably; ensuring stability in supply - protecting the most vulnerable from volatility; achieving global access to food and ending hunger; managing the contribution of the food system to the mitigation of climate change; maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services while feeding the world. Join Dr. Richard Godwin as he address these issues and offer possible solutions.

RICHARD J GODWIN   PhD, Dr(hc), DSc,  FREng,  Hon FIAgrE, Hon FRASE, Fellow ASABE and Fellow RAS holds Professorships at Cranfield University, Czech University of Life Sciences and Harper Adams University Colleges respectively and in this capacity he supervises research programmes and provides academic leadership.  He has had a long career as a researcher and educator in the field of agricultural engineering, soil and waste management and precision agriculture.  His contributions have resulted in an improved fundamental understanding of soil - machine systems; the development of improved soil engaging tools and methods; and the transfer of principles to designers, extension advisors and farmers. The transfer of this through the development of training programmes in “Soil Management”, such as the BASIS programme, has helped in both improved crop production systems and the environment. He was lead author of the RASE report “The Current Status of Soil and Water Management in England” published in 2008; which reflected on the issues faced by UK Agriculture due to the lack of applied research and trained professionals to communicate with farmers.