New model for R&D required in agri-food

A collaborative effort from worldwide research institutes is required to attain world food security, the Riddet agri-food summit was told.

Dr Aalt Dijkhuizen, president and chairman of the executive board at Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands, told the summit the world faced a food crisis. “There will be an increasing demand for food, especially animal protein,” Dr Dijkhuizen said. “The challenge is to lift production and improve the quality of food while lessening the environmental impact.”

Wageningen UR was formed in 1998 and encompasses two academic institutions and nine research institutes. The research hub was focused on research across the food production chain, with governance dictated by the area of research, irrespective of the institution. “This means there are shorter reporting lines, meeting is easier and there is full commitment from everyone involved,” he said. Last year Wageningen UR developed a formal collaboration with Massey University and the Riddet Institute.

Dr Dijkhuizen was the keynote speaker at the summit, hosted by the Riddet Institute, a Centre of Research Excellence based at Massey University. The summit brought together leaders from across the agri-food sector to discuss Positioning New Zealand’s Research and Education Resources.

The Prime Minister’s chief science adviser, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, echoed the sentiment that collaboration was the key to success in the sector. Sir Peter said New Zealand would never be able to produce enough to grow the economy through commodity exports, and needed to focus on what international markets wanted “In Asia, that is food that is proven to be healthy, whether it be an aid to cognition in infants, or whether it aids the fight against obesity and diabetes in adults.”

He said the contestable model for research funding in New Zealand had to be changed, and this was starting to happen in the past 18 months. “But we need a national strategy for research and development funding that looks beyond the electoral cycle,” he said. “Also, international links are required to take our ideas to market. It is better to own 50 per cent of something big than 100 per cent of something small.”

Other speakers at the summit included Agriculture Minister David Carter and Research, Science and Technology Minister Dr Wayne Mapp. Dr Mapp said next month's Budget would outline some of the changes that would be made to funding research and development.

Professional Engineers Institute chief exeuctive Dr Andrew Cleland, Zespri chief executive Lain Jager, Massey University Chancellor Dr Russ Ballard and the Riddet Institute’s principal scientist Dr Mike Boland also spoke.

Riddet Institute co-director Professor Paul Moughan said, “New Zealand is unprepared for the new opportunities in world agri-food but I think the summit highlighted some of the urgency required to address this and I am heartened by the attendance of many key influencers in the sector and the openness of the debate. There seemed to be a desire from participants that the Riddet Institute should keep the dialogue going.”