AHDB Horticulture Chair, Hayley Campbell-Gibbons has called on growers and other industry stakeholders to get involved as the levy body develops its future strategy over the coming months.
Looking back on some of the developments the industry has seen over the last 15 years, writing on the AHDB website, she said, “It’s food for thought as we begin to write AHDB’s new strategy and was the focus of discussion at the last AHDB Horticulture board meeting (10 July). Our ambition for horticulture must look ahead to the next 10–15 years if we want to achieve the same level of success.”
Pointing out that changes to consumer behaviour and eating patterns, robotics and technology, climate change and crop protection are just some of the considerations, she predicted that, “The supply chain will not only consolidate, it will look and function in a fundamentally different way. More British growers will have operations overseas [and] there will be a rise in urban and vertical farming systems, and a change in the traditional business model for how we invest in food and plant production.”
Explaining the purpose of the new strategy Hayley added, “It’s vital that we’re responsive to the industry’s needs today, but we also need to be mindful of where the industry wants to be in the next 10–15 years… The NFU is leading an important debate in the industry about what our ambition is for UK horticulture by 2030. We need to support growers’ vision and play our part in making it happen.”
Photo caption: Hayley Campbell-Gibbons
Photo Credit: AHDB