A FARMING conference held in Pershore last week (January 15) looked at how farmers and growers can manage water to make the best use of the resource to produce food.
Organised by Pershore and Upton NFU branch, the event titled ‘Too much or too little, never just enough’ included talks from the NFU President Tom Bradshaw, former Defra Secretary of State George Eustice, and Dr Mike Rivington, of the James Hutton Institute.
Water remains critical for livestock and crop production, but with the global population set to increase to over 9.5 billion by 2050, there is significant and increasing competition for the precious resource.
The speakers considered this and the sector’s ability to maintain and increase high-quality food production against competition for it, climate change, severe weather events, alongside ageing and inadequate infrastructure.
Oliver Surman, NFU Worcestershire chair who farms at Upton upon Severn, said: “We need to ensure food production remains at the heart of any future water plans in the face of climate change, increasing environmental ambitions, population growth, and changes in the way people use the resource.
“We now see declarations of flooding and drought at the same time and in the same county, and that shows the fickleness of the weather has never been greater.
“We can’t control the elements so the conference will look at the best ways of making the weather work for us – or at least formulating a strategy that maximises the benefits and minimises the negatives.
“We had a top-class panel who were be able to highlight some opportunities for farmers and growers at both a local level, as well as looking at the bigger picture.
“As always at the Pershore Conference, a lively but sensible debate ensued in the question-and-answer session after the speakers.”
The annual event, this year held at Pershore No8, attracts hundreds of people from across the region.
It was sponsored by Carver Knowles, Crowthers, NFU Mutual, Oxbury Bank and Shakespeare Martineau.
The NFU has outlined its priorities on water, including access to a secure water supply to grow healthy crops and maintain animal health and welfare in its Blueprints for Growth document, found here.
