Method —
Future of Agriculture —
2020, Method —
A research project prompted by the changes in legislation within the farming sector following Brexit. Desk research was presented as a visual report that acted as a primer on the topic for those joining later. Three speculative artefacts were created to explore key issues and themes and act as conversation starters.
Speculative Artefact 1 — Now Then Sausages use genetic modification to bring back extinct breeds of heritage pig. Picked first for taste, these breeds also add to Britain’s biodiversity and ensure a future for it’s food culture. The Yorkshire blue & white pigs are fed on GM soy crops that are specially designed to grow in the UK, providing delicious meat to a carbon conscious consumer.
Speculative Artefact 2 — In 2040, consumers are now being taxed at point of purchase for any products which are made with unsustainable amounts of carbon, water or land. As such, shoppers have become much more literate around the kinds of issues that affect farmers and the environment – carbon sequestration, insect populations etc. Food trends have also changed, insect products, cruelty free lab meat, high welfare rabbit and awareness of soil health have contributed to a changing supermarket shelf.
Speculative Artefact 3 — Every farmer has a patch of land where they know yield is poor. Instead of using it for unproductive crops, why not extract different value from it? That corner of ground could generate carbon credits to be sold in the global carbon markets. Plus the added ELMs benefits and related payments for biodiversity, water sequestration, chemical remediation and air quality.
These artefacts and research were used to run a co-creation workshop for those in the Agri-Tech industry. The workshop focussed on innovation, and how changes in industry, consumer choice and legislation could impact across the farming and food sectors.
