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Agriculture and green spaces
Notes from a preparatory meeting on 18 July 2011
Present: Catherine Cairns, Peter Carolin, Carolin Gohler, Ian Hodge, Peter Landshoff, Michael Rands, Robin Upton
- Multifunctional uses of green spaces must be developed, for both ecosystem services and agriculture, and there must be more dialogue between those concerned with each of these. This becomes increasingly important with increasing development of land for housing and business.
- However, there is tension between green spaces for recreation, tourism,
biodiversity etc and the need to use land to grow food for our increasing population.
- But green infrastructure will help to help prevent flooding and to ensure a supply of water for agriculture.
- But how will it be funded, particularly as agricultural land becomes more valuable because of the increase in food prices?
- There is a severe shortage of people with the right skills to handle ever-more-sophisticated agricultural machinery.
- The sub-region is well placed to take the lead in developing new technologies such as GM to increase agricultural yields. This is important: cereal yields have not increased over the last 10 years, partly because nematodes are having a serious effect.
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