79986 · UK public procurement notice

1. Summary

There are an estimated 369,000 known species of flowering plants, but only about 7,000 have been cultivated for food, forage, fibre or fuels, with just 30 underpinning the world’s food supply. In the UK, 75% of arable-farmed land is accounted for by three crops: wheat, barley and oilseed rape. Similarly, apples and strawberries account for a large proportion of the UK’s fruit production, with carrots, onions and brassicas the leading vegetable crops.

The dependence of our agri-food systems on relatively few crops highlights a potential risk to food security and agricultural resilience. Plant breeding and crop husbandry developments have supported high productivity to date, but on-farm yields of several key crops have shown little increase over the last three decades. For some crops, adverse weather, loss of agrochemicals and pests or diseases are leading to a decline in the area grown. With the need to support healthier diets, address climate change and protect the environment through sustainable land management, identifying economically viable alternatives that are suited to UK conditions and can enhance the diversity of cropping systems is important.

New production methods like indoor/vertical farming, changing climate, advances in crop establishment and harvesting machinery and new plant breeding techniques mean that the introduction or reintroduction of some novel or underutilised crops may now be feasible. Given the potential number, it would not be possible to evaluate all such crops in the field. This project will examine the diversity of plant species and genetic resources that exist, explore the scope for these to be grown in the UK for food, feed/forage or pharmaceutical uses, and assess potential opportunities, benefits, barriers and risks for farmers, end users and the environment.

A comprehensive scientific review will identify underutilised, underdeveloped and novel crops with potential to be grown successfully in the UK within diversified cropping systems. Crop groups will include cereals and grains; grain legumes/pulses; oilseeds and seeds; vegetables and tubers; fruits, vines and nuts; and forages. An evidence map will summarise available information, and a research landscape map will outline relevant key research groups and programmes. The scope to model productivity, sustainability and resilience metrics, including climate change mitigation, for new crops and diversified cropping systems will also be assessed.

The full inventory of crops will then be screened against criteria relating to economic potential, ease of cultivation, environmental impact and state of knowledge/resources. This will generate a short-list of candidates for more detailed assessment, which will also involve engagement with stakeholders representing producers, advisers, breeders, end-users, environmental organisations, policymakers and researchers, to determine which crops would be preferred and potential market opportunities for UK growers and international trade. The final report will include recommendations as to the priority crops for future work/investment; how government could support their mainstreaming; knowledge gaps and how they could be filled; and knowledge exchange routes to raise awareness and achieve successful introduction of the crops.