School of Law academics tackle pressing issues of global food security in Parliamentary inquiry

Dr Andrea Zappalaglio and Prof Graham Dutfield replied to the call for evidence by the Government's 'Science, Innovation and Technology Committee', dedicated to 'Innovation and global food security'.

The two scholars provided doctrinal and empirical evidence, as well as selected case studies, to tackle the following questions:

1. How scientific and technological innovations can be combined with low-technology practices to support global food security?
2. What are the effects of these innovations on the global agricultural system?
3. What is the UK’s role in achieving global food security?

The impact of modern technologies on sustainable agriculture

Their analysis on the impact of modern technologies on sustainable agriculture had the following points:

1. Artificial Intelligence applications demonstrate significant potential, with deep learning techniques achieving over 90% accuracy in crop disease detection, while machine learning enhances weather modelling and harvest optimisation. CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology can represent a breakthrough for climate resilience, successfully enhancing drought, heat, salinity, and flood tolerance in crops, including rice, wheat, maize, and soybeans.
2. However, technology and innovation must be construed much more broadly than they tend to be nowadays. Critically, the submission advocates for combining high-tech solutions with small-scale farming knowledge. Small-scale farmers are characterised as ‘invisible innovators’ whose sophisticated agro-ecological knowledge and genetic diversity conservation practices are essential but often overlooked. Innovation flows multidirectionally, and traditional farming communities possess invaluable expertise for sustainable food production. They also have proven capacity to be pragmatic and highly adaptive.

Cybersecurity and related vulnerabilities

Their report then focused on cybersecurity and related vulnerabilities, arguing that:

1. Cybersecurity threats have intensified, with documented attacks affecting major food-supply chains. In particular, data security concerns arise from the extensive data collection by smart farming systems, creating vulnerabilities through unauthorised access, identity theft, and supply chain disruption.
2. Dependency risks emerge as agricultural systems become increasingly reliant on few technology providers, potentially creating oligopolies and increasing vulnerability to simultaneous system failures.

The University of Leeds as a leader

Eventually, the paper focused on the role of UK Universities, including the activities of the University of Leeds as a leader in this area. The report concluded that:

1. The UK has massive strengths. We maintain strong agricultural research capabilities, with five universities ranked among the world's top 100 for Agriculture and Forestry. UK institutions collectively invest £56 million annually in agricultural research, supporting over £365 million in infrastructure projects. Notable examples include the University of Leeds' Smart Farm, which tests precision agriculture technologies, and collaborative projects developing cosmic ray neutron sensors for precision irrigation.
2. The United Kingdom is not just a hotbed of agricultural research of value to the UK and to the world. We also have considerable social science expertise in: (i) global development including working collaboratively with small-scale farming communities, (ii) optimising food trade value chains to enhance local value addition including through branding schemes such as collective trade marks and geographical indications, and last but not least (iii) according to ethical best-practice and principles of sustainability.

Dr Zappalaglio says:

The relationship between innovation and agriculture is complex. Although modern technologies play a crucial role, with this submission, we wanted to remind lawmakers of the multifaceted nature of the topic, which requires not just a technological approach but a multidisciplinary discussion that considers the needs, expectations, and potential of all producer communities in the UK and beyond. The catch-all concept of 'innovation' alone may be unable to valorise this complexity.

Their thoughtful and nuanced evidence on these issues are a prime example of how School of Law academics produce research that has a real-world impact on global food security matters.  

Dr Andrea Zappalaglio and Professor Graham Dutfield are members of the Centre for Business Law and Practice, the Global Food and Environment Institute, and co-founders of the newly established Technology, Governance and Intellectual Property Research Group. Dr Andrea  Zappalaglio can be found on Bluesky @anzapp.bsky.social, and LinkedIn. Professor Graham Dutfield can be found on Bluesky @grahamdutfield.bsky.social and LinkedIn.