Top speakers converge on ECCI for sustainable food event
High-profile thinkers and cutting edge start-ups will converge at ECCI on Thursday 6 June 2019 for a free event examining how we can grow a Scottish food system that doesn't cost the planet.
Cutting emissions from food and farming is one of the biggest challenges facing Scotland as it prepares to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.
The Committee on Climate Change says the UK as a whole needs to eat 20 per cent less beef, lamb and dairy to hit net zero emissions by 2050. And globally, around a third of our food is wasted in production, storage, transportation and consumption.
But it’s not just about what we eat. Agriculture’s effect on our land accounts for a large proportion of emissions – and offers huge potential to lock carbon up in soil and forests.
The event will hear from three leading experts in the field about the innovations – from new technologies to community projects and dietary changes – that could help us to feed ourselves without costing the planet.
Speakers include Professor Dave Reay, climate change scientist, author and Professor of Carbon Management at the University of Edinburgh and Pete Ritchie, Executive Director of Nourish Scotland and Partner in Whitmuir Organic Farm.
It will also feature quick-fire pitches from start-ups with innovative products to help make our food system lower carbon, from a kitchen waste digester to a robotic grain monitor.
Ed Craig, ECCI's Interim Executive Director, said: "Food is big business in Scotland – with ambitious plans to grow.
"And it’s an intensely emotional subject, tied to our deepest instincts and deeply interwoven with culture and identity. Scottish farmers have been feeding us and looking after our countryside for centuries.
"This event will bring together leading experts and innovators for an open discussion about how we can help this crucial sector thrive and ensure the food we eat doesn't damage our planet."
Event registration
Find out more about the event and register to attend >