The future of food

Food is more than just fuel, it is deeply connected to our identity, memories, and emotions. Over centuries, colonisation, global trade and commercial farming have driven the movement of crops and ingredients across continents, shaping the global food culture we know today.

But with climate change accelerating, is this interconnected and often exploitative food system sustainable? And if not, what might our diets look like in the future? And how will this effect food cultures?

Join us as we explore the future of food through a human-centred lens, considering not only emerging technologies, but also practices of the past that have shaped how we grow and consume food today.

We will examine the economic forces driving a globalised food system and how these impact sustainability and equity in a warming world. Drawing on research from the humanities and social sciences this discussion will uncover how our relationship with food might evolve with the challenges ahead.

Due to personal reasons, Professor Rebecca Earle FBA and Prof Peter Jackson FBA will no longer be able to attend this event.

Vimeo live stream link: https://vimeo.com/event/5313495

Chair

Professor Sarah Bridle

Astrophysicist turned climate scientist, Professor Sarah Bridle researches the environmental impact and resilience of the food system. Author of 'Food and Climate Change - Without the Hot Air', lead of Future Food Calculator, and co-lead of the AFN Network+ of 3000 people.

Speakers

Professor Paul Behrens

Paul Behrens is British Academy Global Professor at the University of Oxford. His research and writing is focussed on climate, food, and energy.

His popular science book, The Best of Times, The Worst of Times: Futures from the Frontiers of Climate Science (Indigo Press, 2021) describes humanity’s current trajectory and possible futures in paired chapters of pessimism and hope.

He is co-author and editor of the textbook, Food and Sustainability (Oxford University Press, 2020). Paul also won the prestigious International Champion in the Frontiers Planet Prize in 2023.

Dr Christian Reynolds

Dr Christian Reynolds is a Reader in Food Policy at the Centre for Food Policy, City University, London; and is the Senior Tutor for Research at the Centre for Food Policy. Christian is recognised as a global expert on food loss and waste and sustainable diets.

Christian has led and supported rapid reviews of evidence for the Food Standards Agency and Defra on topics including citizen science; sustainability in the UK food system; and the environmental impact of public procurement. Christian also researches sustainable cookery; food history; and the political power of food in international relations.

Dr Tara Garnett

Dr Tara Garnett is the Director of Table, an organisation which sets out the evidence, assumptions, and values underpinning different viewpoints on food systems controversies.

Tara's work centres on the interactions among food, climate, health and broader sustainability issues; she has a particular interest in livestock as a sector where many of these converge. She is also interested in how knowledge is communicated to and interpreted by policy makers, civil society organisations and industry, and in the values that these different stakeholders bring to food problems and possible solutions.

Tara is based at the Environmental Change Institute in the School of Geography and the Environment, is a fellow of the Oxford Martin School and is co-investigator on the Wellcome Trust-funded Livestock, Environment and People (LEAP) project.

Further information

Free event, booking required.

As tickets are free, people sometimes book and don't attend, so we have to issue more tickets than there are seats available to allow for this. Entry into this event is on a first-come, first-served basis and we recommend arriving in good time to avoid any disappointment.

Registering for a ticket does not guarantee you entrance to the SHAPE Room. If the SHAPE Room reaches capacity, you will be directed to the Wohl Gallery next door to watch a live stream of the event.

This event will also be live-streamed online.

This event has live subtitles delivered by 121 Captions.

See information about the accessibility of the venue.

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