The importance of government investment in science and engineering is being highlighted during a high-level political debate today.

The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) will see spokesmen for science and innovation from across the main political parties debate their policies on science in London on Wednesday.

The debate comes a week after the launch of the Cross-Government Food Research and Innovation Strategy at the Oxford Farming Conference - a report developed with contributions from members of the government’s Food Research Partnership (FRP), including the National Farmers’ Union.

NFU president Peter Kendall, who is a member of the FRP, said the recent debates and increased interest in the importance of science and technology for a more productive and efficient food and farming industry were good news. However, more is needed to encourage the next generation of young scientists into the field of research, and to ensure that R&D advances were more readily available to farmers and growers on the ground.

“We have said all along that there needs to be a reversal in the trend of underspend for agricultural R&D - the report from government chief scientist Professor John Beddington placed great emphasis on this last week,” said Kendall. “He also coined the phrase ‘a perfect storm’ when he talked about the need to feed a growing population, using less natural resources and impacting less on the environment.

“This drive towards greater efficiency and more productive agriculture and horticulture sectors means we need to attract and retain the best scientists into agricultural R&D and recognise the importance of translating this science into commercial practice.”

The NFU launched its Why Science Matters for Farming campaign back in October 2008. Its themes are echoed in the government’s new strategy and are expected to be raised in Wednesday’s debate. As part of its campaign, the NFU called for joined-up policies to ensure the development and translation of new technologies and skills for agricultural R&D.

And with agricultural research demonstrating an economic rate of return on investment of around 40 per cent, there has never a better time for public and private partnerships to support a much-needed long-term strategy for agri-sciences, said the NFU.