Functioning soils and a resilient food system should be at the very core of UK security and preparedness. Our nation is stronger when diets and value chains are diverse, and when nature is integrated with agricultural land use and food production.
The Conference on Food and National Security, hosted by Ark and Farm Gate, will address the need to actively plan for ecological insecurity and an unsettled future.
Drawing on recent geopolitical events we will discuss ways to increase food sovereignty, establish new infrastructure, regenerate soil and water health, and reduce reliance on imported fertilisers, chemicals and medicines.
We will ask how British businesses and institutions can support strong governance and agroecological resilience internationally, to reduce the risk of conflict and migration.
Ark convenes events to help people shape the future.
Farm Gate hosts conversations to support the practical delivery of agroecological land use.
Speakers:
The Conference on Food and National Security, hosted by Ark and Farm Gate, will address the need to actively plan for ecological insecurity and an unsettled future.
Drawing on recent geopolitical events we will discuss ways to increase food sovereignty, establish new infrastructure, regenerate soil and water health, and reduce reliance on imported fertilisers, chemicals and medicines.
We will ask how British businesses and institutions can support strong governance and agroecological resilience internationally, to reduce the risk of conflict and migration.
Ark convenes events to help people shape the future.
Farm Gate hosts conversations to support the practical delivery of agroecological land use.
Speakers:
- Lieutenant General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE, Non-Executive Member for the Defence Safety and Environmental Committee
- Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive, Food, Farming & Countryside Commission
- Gavin Hodgson, Director of Agriculture, Horticulture & Aquaculture,
Sainsbury's Supermarkets - Dr Helen Ferrier, Director of Innovation & Knowledge Exchange, LEAF
- Patrick Holden, Founder & CEO, Sustainable Food Trust
- Joseph Gridley, CEO, Soil Association Exchange
- Lee Truelove, Head of Regenerative Farming, First Milk
- Tim Coates, Managing Director - Evenlode Landscape Recovery Limited & North East Cotswold Farmer Cluster
- Eoin Murray, CIO, Rebalance Earth
- Jimmy Woodrow, Chief Executive, Pasture for Life
- Vicki Hird, Strategic Lead on Agriculture, The Wildlife Trusts
- Mike Gooding, Farming Systems Director, AHDB
- Sofia Parente, Head of Policy (Production), WWF-UK
- Lucy Jenner, Head of Natural Capital Consultancy, Savills
- Peter Harker, Partner, Saffery
- Christopher Ramsay, Partner, Pelican Ag VC
- Stuart Rogers, Dairy farmer and Duchy tenant
- Mark Stevenson, Former Special Advisor for Peace, Security and Climate Change, Ambassador Client Earth
- Adele Jones, Consultant, Rooted Strategies
- Ran Morgan MRICS, Director, Ran Morgan Consultancy
- Helen Rogers, Director, Friars Moor Livestock Health
- Honor Eldridge, Author, The Future of Food Policy in the UK: Recipe for Change
- ffinlo Costain, Chief Editor, 8point9
- Tom Pycraft, Founder, Ark Consultancy & Events
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Core Themes
From immediate pressures to long-term transformation, we will examine the spectrum of food security across two time horizons: the next 18 months and the next 20 years.
- How do we stabilise current food systems without compromising future resilience?
- How do we ensure healthy, diverse and affordable nutrition for all?
- What does economic and ecological regeneration look like in practice?
- How do we ensure that transition delivers a genuine rural renaissance?
Key Issues
- Soil health as a cornerstone of national security
- Food systems integrated with biodiversity, climate mitigation, and adaptation
- Multifunctional land use and diverse income streams for farmers
- System diversity as a policy priority, including reducing concentration across retail and supply chains
- The role of community-scale change in rebuilding resilience
- Infrastructure that enables long-term system transformation
- The role of open and bespoke technology in diversifying supply chains
- Affordability, nutrition, and diversity as core outcomes for consumers
- Aligning international aid and investment with ecological resilience and food security, both domestically and globally
Sessions
Basket One: The Next 18 Months
- Geopolitical landscape and immediate risks
- Securing existing food supply chains
- Market vulnerabilities and short-term shocks
- Societal and political opportunities, including rebuilding rural economies
- Planning and adaptation amidst uncertainty
Basket Two: The Next 20 Years
- Longer-term geopolitical shifts and ecological security
- Structural risks to societal stability
- Defining resilience: reduced import dependence, stronger rural economies, diverse retail ecosystems, and nation-appropriate diets
- Long-term market opportunities and risks
- Infrastructure to support a diverse food economy
Basket Three: Bridging the Gap
- Farmers as the foundation of system change
- The role of food companies in transition
- Natural capital and blended finance as enablers
- Policy frameworks required to support change
- The role of citizens and community action
- Springboards for agroecological innovation
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Register your interest to receive programme announcements and ticket information.