One of the leading UK supporters of horticultural research is set to mark 100 years of funding for the sector by launching its new Science and Impact Strategy on Friday (July 18th). Founded in 1913, The East Malling Trust (EMT) will host the virtual launch on LinkedIn and is expecting more than 200 people from academia, vegetable and fruit production and government to attend.
The charity, which promotes the advancement of research, innovation and education in horticulture and food, will outline how it plans to move forward for the next five years with an emphasis on new collaborations and greater knowledge exchange.
There will also be discussions around the continued development of the East Malling Campus - located on the Bradbourne House Estate in Kent - into a vibrant horticulture innovation hub. This strategy will aim to build on over £7.7m of infrastructure and Director Award support that has been spent on advanced horticulture projects, the NIAB Wine Innovation Centre and cutting-edge research projects.
"Our sector faces a unique set of challenges; thin profit margins, specialised staffing requirements, logistical barriers, and supply chain issues that are not experienced, or at least not cumulatively, in other industries," explained Dr Celia Caulcott, Chair of The EMT Science & Impact Committee.
"Now is the time for greater collaboration and greater innovation and, at The East Malling Trust, we want to help pull this all together. That's what we will be unveiling at the Science and Impact strategy launch this Friday and we want as many people – who are invested in and passionate about horticulture – as possible to take part and feed the discussion."
© The East Malling TrustDr. Celia Caulcott
She went on to add: "We've got a great set of speakers and there will also be an update on how we will be administering the next phase of the Director's Award, with a far wider remit on supporting projects that create jobs and bring innovations to market quicker."
Approximately 340,000 people are employed in the horticulture industry in the UK across fruit and vegetable production, ornamental plant nurseries, garden centres, as well as related sectors like landscaping.
Together, this generates more than £9bn towards the domestic economy and this figure is growing, with production value of home-produced vegetables/fruit, field vegetables, protected vegetables, open field fruit and greenhouse fruit all rising.
In addition to the Science and Impact Strategy launch next Friday, there will also be a keynote talk from Sir Peter Kendall, the Former President of the National Farmers' Union and the Interim Board Chair of Rothamsted Research.
© The East Malling TrustSir Peter Kendall
The fifth-generation arable and poultry farmer from Bedfordshire will discuss the 'Importance of Investment in horticultural research' as part of The EMT's virtual event.
Dr Oliver Doubleday, Chair of The East Malling Trust, concluded: "A thriving horticulture sector can simultaneously offer an economic boost, a mechanism to capture carbon, support biodiversity, aid food security, and ultimately deliver fresh nutritious food to support a happy and healthy population."
The Science and Impact Strategy virtual event will be streamed through LinkedIn and starts at 12.30pm on Friday July 18th. You can register your interest by emailing admin@eastmallingtrust.org
For more information:
The East Malling Trust
admin@eastmallingtrust.org
https://eastmallingtrust.org/