From antibiotic-free
meats to healthy bees, anticipating the future of the food chain is one of the
keys to successfully feeding a rapidly growing world population, delegates
learned during the closing session of Alltech’s 30th Annual Alltech
International Symposium. The three-day event explored the curiosity-invoking
theme of “What If?” in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, from May 18-21.
Speaking to more than
2,000 delegates from 60 countries, Dr. Mark Lyons discussed global consumer
trends and scientific innovations that will shape the future of the food chain.
Lyons is vice president of corporate affairs of Alltech and has been based out
of Beijing since 2012 as part of the company’s “China Now” initiative.
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| Dr. Pearse Lyons with his adult children Credit: ZimComm |
Lyons examined a host
of factors, including climate change, the shortening of food supply chains,
increased awareness of the agricultural global footprint, as well as increasing
consumer demand for natural meat production as fears of antibiotic resistance
grow.
“This lower risk of
antibiotic resistance will appeal to the masses,” Lyons said. “It doesn’t have
to cost more, but it does require a food chain to be thinking about this issue.
But it’s worth it. This is where the market is going. Let’s grab it. Let’s lead
it.”
Lyons also cited the
rise in the desire for functional foods – foods with potentially positive
effects on health beyond basic nutrition. He suggested that farmers rethink
their roles. “Are we in the poultry or pork business....or are we really in the
human wellness industry?”
Becky Timmons¸ global
director of applications research and quality for Alltech, also spoke at the
closing session with a fascinating look at “overlooked agricultural workers” –
bees and microbes. Bees, with their ability to pollinate ecosystems, are key to
closing the agricultural yield gap that humans will face by 2050 as the
population reaches 9 billion people.
One out of every
three bites that Americans take is affected, directly or indirectly, by bees,
and bees create an estimated $15 billion in agricultural crop value each year
in the United States. Unfortunately, since 2006, beekeepers are losing about
one third of their colonies per year – likely due to the overuse of pesticides,
as well as the rise of monocropping and urbanization, Timmons said. Bees’
environments have changed and food sources have become limited as a result.
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| bee (Photo credit: staflo) |
“Is the best way to
increase our yields to spread chemicals, or should we be looking at the things
that are already in the plants or the soil that are playing a role?” Timmons
asked. “We really need to be looking at natural solutions.”
The natural solutions
are in the soil in the form of microbes. Microbes are necessary for acquiring
nutrients by creating enzymes that can break materials down in the soil and by
producing antibiotics that eliminate pathogens in the soil, toxins that deter
pests, and hormones that help plants grow. The bee population loss can be
mitigated through limiting the use of pesticides and by planting more
wildflowers, hedges, and trees.
Founder and president
of Alltech Dr. Pearse Lyons wrapped up the 30th Annual Symposium,
asking delegates “What did you learn? Will it transform you? There are so many
ideas and yet so little time.”
The bars of “Climb
Every Mountain” began to play as images of the outdoors flashed on the screen
while vocalist Cynthia Lawrence sang the powerful song. As Dr. Lyons stood with
his children Dr. Mark Lyons and Dr. Aoife Lyons on stage, he called them “his
two dreamers,” and noted, “You need to associate yourself with people who can
make things happen...Think of your dream and what we can do.”
Drawing more than 2,000
attendees from 60 countries across the globe to Lexington, Kentucky, Alltech’s
30th Annual International Symposium is one of the world’s leading
events in agribusiness.
The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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