1. BBSRC – Agriculture and Food Security Framework

2. Agriculture and food security Industrial biotechnology and bioenergy
Three major strategic priorities
Agriculture and food security
Industrial biotechnology and bioenergy
Bioscience for health
As well as our strong commitment to funding curiosity driven bioscience research across a broad base, we highlight three priority areas for particular focus. These are areas at the core of BBSRC’s scientific remit, where focus will have the most impact, nationally and internationally:
Agriculture and food security: bioscience for sustainable and productive agriculture, supplying not only sufficient, affordable, nutritious and safe food, but also non-food products and feedstocks, in a rapidly changing world with limited resources.
Industrial biotechnology and bioenergy: energy, industrial materials and biopharmaceuticals, developed and produced using biological processes, reducing dependency on fossil fuels and helping drive the UK bioeconomy
Bioscience for health: driving advances in fundamental bioscience for better health across the lifecourse, reducing the need for medical and social intervention
The strategic priorities are delivered through mixed funding mechanism: through BBSRC responsive mode and initiative funding and also through cross council, European and international partnerships.
Image credits 1.Thinkstock 2.TMO Renewables 3.Stephanie Schuller, IFR

3. BBSRC Agriculture and Food Security - Strategic Framework
The aim is to expand on, and provide further details of, BBSRC’s strategic priorities in AFS.
It identify areas where the BBSRC will focus efforts and expects to deliver the most impact

4. Focus The Strategic Framework is divided into six focus areas:
Sustainable agricultural systems
Crop and farmed animal health
Food safety and nutrition
Reducing waste
Understanding and exploiting genomics
Precision agriculture and smart technologies

6. Understanding and exploiting genomics
Developing the next generation of improved crops and farmed animals by accessing and utilising greater genetic diversity
Enabling greater control of breeding by understanding and manipulating the biological mechanisms which control access to genes
Identifying and exploiting multiple beneficial traits through understanding the links between genotype and phenotype
Enabling rapid and accurate measurements of phenotype in real-world environments

7. Precision agriculture and smart technologies
Developing precision farming by embedding smart engineering technologies in agri-food research and innovation
Supporting the development of digital and predictive tools to improve decision making
Revolutionise future farming by developing and utilising novel technologies
monkeybusinessimages/iStock/Thinkstock©
BeeBright/iStock/Thinkstock©

8. What challenges can technology address?
Measurements on farm, real-time (live) non invasive
Whole system
Co-design
Reduce environmental impacts
Decision making & action
Below ground measurements to provide data to improve understanding of soil health and crop performance
Technology development for pre-clinical livestock disease monitoring and management
Increasing fresh produce quality
Reducing net water use in agriculture
What challenges can technology address?
New and novel farming systems including vertical agriculture
Integrated interventions to optimise crop management in field and for protected crops
Improving nutritional management in livestock through better monitoring of inputs and outputs (including health, welfare, productivity and safety)
Non chemical methods to control pests and weeds
Automating and semi-automation of crop production

10. Funding opportunities page:

11. Thank you harriet.trewin@bbsrc.ac.uk