The Royal Society Report - Push-Pull

y phytoplankton that are eaten and then move up the
marine food chain. In fish farming these compounds are
provided through fishmeal. For each unit of product,
several units of fishmeal have to be provided so that the
sustainability of fish farming is vulnerable to shortages of
wild fish supply. However, it is now possible to engineer
oilseeds such as soya bean to produce SDA, an omega-3
fatty acid precursor (Monsanto 2009). This material could
enter the fish feed or indeed chicken feed chain, resulting
in fish or chicken in the human diet enhanced with
omega-3 fatty acids. It is likely that this innovation could be
applied in the near future.
3.4 Conclusion
A range of technologies and practices have been
described in this chapter which could be used to increase
food crop production and improve nutritional quality in
light of the various challenges described in Chapter 2.
Some of these are starting to be used widely. Others have
likely future benefits over the next two decades.
Opportunities exist for the application of existing
technologies, the development of new crops and
practices and the longer term investigation of radical new
approaches which might result in dramatic changes in
productivity. It should be stressed that no one approach
should be ruled out in favour of another. Different
approaches will be appropriate in different circumstances.
Furthermore, the largest improvements stand to be
gained where both the ‘seeds and breeds’ and
management aspects of a system are optimised. This in
turn requires the necessary social and human capital.
When considering how these approaches might translate
into use in the field, it is essential to consider possible
impacts, side effects and wider consequences. These are
discussed in the next chapter.
38 I October 2009 I Reaping the Benefits The Royal Society