News Highlights 4 Hutton Highlights Hutton science contributes to parliamentary session on the impact of Ukraine crisis on food supply Dr Mike Rivington, a senior scientist within the James Hutton Institute’s Information and Computational Sciences department, contributed evidence to a session of the Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee of the Scottish Parliament on the war in Ukraine and its impact on food supply and security in Scotland and beyond. During the session, which also featured experts from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, Trinity College Dublin, Scotland’s Rural College and National Farmers Union Scotland, Dr Rivington said that a strategic outlook is needed to improve the resilience of Scotland’s food systems in the face of major shocks like the conflict in Ukraine, COVID-19 or climate change. Dr Rivington said: “There is a need to move away from the current ‘just in time’ approach to how the food system operates, which leaves us vulnerable to shocks, to a ‘just in case’ strategy that will help build resilience. “COVID-19 was a demand-side shock affecting the most vulnerable people in particular as they could not afford food, whereas the current war in Ukraine and the consequences on food security is a production shock. The additional impact from rising energy costs has driven up prices which will result in increasing food insecurity for many people. “We must not lose sight of long-term objectives - there is a risk that current responses reinforce the current system, which results in continued vulnerability to future shocks. Instead, we need a transformation in the food system to meet multiple objectives for food security, climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection.” Dr Rivington’s evidence drew from the findings of a research project on the impact of COVID-19 on UK food and nutrition security, and his intervention can be watched below (video courtesy of Scottish Parliament TV). The Hutton presentation can be viewed below: December 2022 5 In April, the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP, visited the James Hutton Institute’s Glensaugh Research Farm, near Laurencekirk, site of our Climate-Positive Farming Initiative. In addition to hearing about changes in land use and land management at the farm, Ms Gougeon was able to see the proposed location of the HydroGlen project, which seeks to use renewable energy from Glensaugh to produce sufficient green hydrogen to heat local houses, farm buildings, and to power the vehicles used on the farm. In doing so, HydroGlen will future-proof the farm against power and communication cuts due to the types of storms experienced recently and that are likely to occur more frequently in the future. Ms Gougeon was briefed on the work of Hutton scientists to develop a new system being trialled at Glensaugh to understand and monitor changes in soil carbon from agricultural systems. Through a combination of ground-based sensors, remote sensing and high-performance computing, researchers are creating a system that can monitor, report and verify changes in soil carbon and GHG emissions in near real time. The aim is to make the system available to users through a web interface and a mobile app. The Cabinet Secretary also heard about the National Soil Archive which is maintained and hosted at the Institute’s Aberdeen site. The Archive, a collection of nearly 60,000 soil samples from 1,500 locations throughout Scotland, is a window into the past of Scotland’s soils and allows comparisons with current soil conditions to see how soil carbon and nutrient levels have evolved in response to changes in agricultural techniques. Professor Deb Roberts, the Institute’s Deputy Chief Executive, said: Rural affairs secretary visits Climate-Positive Farming Initiative at Glensaugh The Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Kate Forbes MSP, visited the James Hutton Institute’s Dundee campus to discuss the National Strategy for Economic Transformation, which sets out a clear commitment to support a more progressive wellbeing economy agenda and provides Scotland with an opportunity for global leadership. During a roundtable session held at Intelligent Growth Solutions’ Crop Research Centre, Ms Forbes met with Professor Colin Campbell, IGS and Entrepreneurial Scotland representatives, as well as business leaders from across Scotland. Ms Forbes said: “Fundamentally, this strategy is about people seeing opportunities and going after them. We want Scotland to be the best; it’s not just about being on the playing field, it’s about winning at what we do.” The James Hutton Institute has received significant inward investment through the Tay Cities Region Deal and is using it to attract world class talent to the heart of Tayside and foster an environment of innovation and collaboration. Professor Campbell commented: “International competition for talent is fierce, and we need to promote what Scotland has to offer in terms of opportunities and quality of life. We also need the state-of-the-art facilities to attract the leading minds - this will be key to our success. “Right now Scotland, and indeed the world, is facing some of our biggest challenges along with the unprecedented threat of climate change. Our National Economic Strategy needs to support and develop the skills of individuals within society in order to be successfully delivered. “We are ready to help do our bit and are confident that our aims and plans for the future support the ambitions of this strategy.” Finance secretary visits Dundee campus to discuss national strategy for economic transformation “It was great to be able to meet the Cabinet Secretary and colleagues and update them on the exciting developments at Glensaugh as well as the work we do to maintain Scotland’s long-term science capability. Farming and land use in general is facing several major challenges as a result of the climate and biodiversity crises and the work that we are doing at Glensaugh aims to support the land use sectors as they transition towards a sustainable future.” Comments?
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODU0MDE=