- Research
- Africa
- Americas
- Asia
- Energy, Environment and Development
- About the programme
- Current projects
- Biofuels and Sustainable Development
- Illegal Logging
- Forests of The Democratic Republic of Congo
- Low Carbon Zones in China
- The Fossil Fuels Expert Roundtable
- Good Governance of the National Petroleum Sector
- Sustainable Fisheries Governance and Trade
- UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
- Energy and Climate Security for China and Europe
- Livestock-Sector Governance
- Managing Energy: for Climate and Security
- Procurement for Development Forum
- Regulating Nanotechnologies in the EU and US
- Renewable Energy Finance Project
- Resource Depletion, Dependence and Development
- Trade, Finance and Climate Change
- Research events
- Expert comment
- Staff
- The World Today articles
- International Affairs articles
- Reports and Papers
- Books
- Europe
- Global Health Security
- International Economics
- International Law
- International Security
- Middle East and North Africa
- Russia and Eurasia
Membership
Follow Us
Food Supply in the 21st Century: The New Dynamic |
This Chatham House project ran from 2007 to 2008 and focused on the future, examining the effects of global trends on the networks that supply two staples, wheat and dairy, to the UK market.
Project stakeholders can LOGIN HERE to the Food Supply Project Website.
The work was built around a core panel of stakeholders with research expertise drawn from centres of excellence around the country. Highlighting the challenges to be faced, it gave participants a system-wide perspective and developed, through scenario-based analysis, options across each supply network.
Research undertaken between March and November 2007 included a series of interviews and discussions with leading players within and around Britain's wheat and dairy supply networks. The work indicated widespread doubts about the ability of global food production to meet rising demand, with constraints on the availability of energy, water and land frequently identified as issues of particular significance. Overall, there was an expectation of significant structural change in existing food supply arrangements and the policies that support them; and a belief that Britain as a society has a number of important choices to make if it is to secure the kind of supply arrangements that best support its interests.
These preliminary findings informed subsequent research and the development of four global scenarios that could shape the future of the UK's food supply. The range of variables considered in this process included:
- global responses, including from major emerging economies such as China and India;
- the role of science and technology;
- the respective roles of government, industry and consumers and the best way to encourage desired behaviours and operating practices.
Project Resources
- Food Futures: Rethinking UK Strategy
Chatham House Report, Feb 09 - UK Food Supply: Storm Clouds on the Horizon
Briefing Paper, Jan 08 - Thinking About the Future of Food: The Chatham House Food Supply Scenarios
Briefing Paper, May 08 - UK Food Supply in the 21st Century: The New Dynamic
Briefing Paper, Jan 07 - This Briefing Paper sets out the project's aim, scope and initial conclusions
Other Chatham House Resources
- The Feeding of the Nine Billion: Global Food Security for the 21st Century
Chatham House Report, Jan 09 - Rising Food Prices: Drivers and Implications for Development
Briefing Paper, Apr 08
Further Information
Please contact Gemma Green.

Font Size: