Distinguished Professor Paul Moughan, who recently returned from being part of an international think tank on world food security, led discussions around global food demand amid world population growth at the recent New New Zealand Forum in Auckland.

He said science and technology are crucial in meeting the 70 per cent  increase in food demanded by the world’s growing population. “There is enough cultivatable land available now to meet these demands if we close yield gaps, shift our food usage, reduce waste and use water wisely. Absolutely central to this is the need for science, technology, intellect and knowledge to allow all these things to be done, and be done in a fully sustainable way. It can be done and it will only be done with the power of science.”

Moughan noted while New Zealand is only a small fraction of the world’s landmass (less than 0.1 per cent), we have a long history of science and technology in what is a farming-based economy. Therefore he sees New Zealand’s role in the crisis as a key provider of intellectual capital through education, knowledge transfer and export of high-tech agricultural products – a role that needs greater financial support.

“More and more the world is going to want to see food product claims backed by hard scientific evidence,” he said “This, alongside innovative development of products and specialised ingredients, will give New Zealand a competitive advantage.”

Panel discussion

At the event, Professor Moughan led a panel consisting of Massey University food scientist Distinguished Professor Harjinder Singh, Pro Vice-Chancellor College of Health Professor Paul McDonald, Head of Agribusiness and Property for Westpac Mark Steed and Business Development Manager for FoodBowl Auckland Angus Brown.

Professor Singh backed the call for greater research and development funding, stating that, to be competitive on the world stage, New Zealand must double the R and D investment in Agrifood.

“R and D is the driver of this innovation. We have strong and comprehensive research networks around the country but our research intensity – the R and D dollar expenditure as a percent of revenue - is low relative to other countries such as Ireland and Denmark, and large multi-national companies such as Nestle.

“Our science is very strong but there is a general perception that we don’t get much value out of R and D. We need to realise the full innovation impact of all our investments. To do this we need to prioritise and align our research to the needs of industry and consumers.”

Professor McDonald outlined the need for more nutritional food in the future, citing the example of China where 200 million people suffer from chronic illnesses, 40 per cent of which could be prevented with changes in diet. “It is an imperative for us to meet both the current and future demands not only in terms of quantity of food but also quality.”

This was a sentiment echoed by Brown, who said New Zealand needs to shift into producing health-conscious food using the unique plants and materials available to us such as kawakawa or kumarahou.

Steed saw the role of banks as managing the volatility and to support their customers through the highs and lows of the economic space.