the Roadmap

About the Roadmap

In 2022, UK Research and Innovation gave the Agri-food for Net Zero Network+ three years’ funding to shape the next decade of research supporting the UK agri-food system’s journey to net zero. We brought together more than 3,000 people from across UK agri-food, including third sector organisations, policy makers and industry professionals.

The Roadmap for Resilience: A UK Food Plan for 2050 was co-produced with active input from over 150 scientists and practitioners and assessed the drivers of transformation in the UK food system. It calls for radical transformation, at a scale and pace not seen since the Second World War. It says if we do not act now, change will be forced upon us by increasing pressures and the UK will lurch from crisis to crisis, including from food price shocks, climate disasters and weakening economic productivity. Acting now allows the UK to decide its own future, and must include three core transformations: more resilient farming, smarter land use, and healthier diets. The Roadmap offers 10 key recommendations and a timeline to 2050.

Our five key messages

The way we produce and consume food in the UK is under mounting pressure – from climate change, global instability and health problems. But with these threats comes a pivotal opportunity: if we act now to shape the future, we can build a fairer, healthier, more secure food system that works better for everyone.

Farmers are on the front line of climate change and economic shocks. We must back them with a clear plan, with long-term financial confidence, transition support and skills development, that enables their businesses to flourish as diets shift – so we can grow more fruit, vegetables and pulses, reduce business over-reliance on livestock, and develop mixed farming systems that bring animals and cropping together. We must help farmers boost productivity and resilience so they are better able to feed us in difficult times, because food security is national security.

Land is a limited resource, and those who manage it are in a unique position of responsibility to meet the national interests of food production, habitat management, climate change mitigation and producing multiple other public goods. Working with farmers and land managers to collectively plan land use creates a major opportunity to better meet these needs for the nation, while giving farmers the clarity they need for their businesses. This requires government leadership, balancing trade-offs, and fair incentives for farmers and communities.

Eating well shouldn’t be a struggle. We need to make healthy food the easiest option for people. That means changing how food is marketed, sold and priced. As we eat differently, new opportunities will arise for UK farming to grow more of what we need for better health. Healthier diets will also reduce our dependence on imported animal products. A healthier population will mean a less burdened health system, a stronger economy and a fairer society.

These transformations connect emissions, nature, health and the economy. The changes we propose can bring real everyday benefits: healthier families, resilient farms, secure food supplies and a vibrant countryside. But we need to plan ahead – not muddle through from crisis to crisis. With effective leadership, we can build a food system that’s fairer, fitter and future-ready.

Download the full Roadmap

Access the complete report, including detailed analysis and supporting research.

File type: PDF | File size: 12.24 MB

Read the full AFN Roadmap report

Download the summary report

A shorter overview of key insights and findings from the Roadmap.

File type: PDF | File size: 10.3 MB

Read the summary AFN Roadmap report

Roadmap for Resilience

In this video, Neil Ward, Root and Reason Director, and AFN Network+ Co-Lead and author of the report, discusses the three core transformations at the heart of the Roadmap: Resilient agriculture, Smarter land use, and Healthier diets, as well as the benefits they can deliver for health, biodiversity, and the economy.

Panel discussion at the launch of the Roadmap

In this video, Neil Ward, Root and Reason Director, and AFN Network+ Co-Lead and author of the report, discusses the three core transformations at the heart of the Roadmap: Resilient agriculture, Smarter land use, and Healthier diets, as well as the benefits they can deliver for health, biodiversity, and the economy.

Roadmap for Resilience Launch Event – UK Food Plan 2050

Watch the launch of The Roadmap for Resilience: A UK Food Plan for 2050, held at Church House, London.

Join our community


We bring together a vibrant community of over 3,000 members from across the UK agri-food sector—including third-sector organisations, policymakers, and industry professionals. As a member, you will receive regular communications highlighting opportunities to meet people from across the agri-food sector, and sharing expert insights and relevant research on food system transformation.

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