Dr Barbara Correia has become the latest member to join the UK Food Valley team as the Innovation Coordinator.

With over 15 years’ experience in commercial R&D in agri tech, Barbara brings a wealth of knowledge creation and transfer across the higher education and private sectors, from plant, crop science and nutrition, precision breeding, and crop protection, to waste valorisation, and remote monitoring. Barbara is experienced in connecting different audiences to collaborate and support farmers, food producers, packers, retailers, scientists and policymakers.  

UKFV: Welcome to the UK Food Valley team, Barbara. What aspects of your new role as Innovation Coordinator are you most looking forward to?  

BC:  Having previously worked in niche areas of agri food, I’m looking forward to gaining a more overarching view of innovation across the sector. This role will give me the chance to learn about so many businesses and aspects of the industry, plus an understanding of their challenges and views on innovation. I look forward to being able to take a role in driving more innovation and collaboration into the agri food sector in Greater Lincolnshire.   

UKFV: You’re originally from Portugal. Are the challenges for the agri food industry similar both there and in the UK?  

BC:  Up to a point, yes. Some challenges are similar to those seen globally e.g. altered patterns of rainfall and temperature that affect crop production and supply, and an increased prevalence of pests and diseases due to, among other factors, an increase in the import and export of goods. 

In more specific terms, I think that like the UK, Portugal has a variety of landscapes. This poses challenges because of differences in terrain, soil type, water availability and crop resilience. Portugal also has similar challenges with labour availability for food production. In both the UK and Portugal, there can also be a disconnect between what is done in academic settings and how this is translated to business settings. This needs reviewing in order to drive effective innovation and long-term, sustained development.  

UKFV: Are there lessons that the UK should learn from Portugal?  

BC:  I think both countries have a lot to learn from each other. The UK’s strengths include world class research and public investment into R&D. This is something that was highlighted in the UK’s recently published Industrial Strategy. 

However, Portugal’s agri food industry is more agile in terms of putting research into practice. Portugal is also more involved with international research and has more widespread international collaboration. For example, every project I worked on in Portugal had at least two other countries involved.   

UKFV: Your MSc and PhD thesis both focused on water stress and recovery in eucalyptus. What findings from this research that could be applied to Lincolnshire crops?  

BC:  There are two main findings from the research I’ve done. The first one is that studying one problem in isolation is usually not translatable for real-world impact. A factor rarely happens in isolation e.g. if there’s drought, it’s also hot.  You therefore need to look at the interplay between a variety of factors.  

The second one is linked to this and is the importance of looking at the bigger picture.  When you want to study a certain process or mechanism, you must always put things into perspective. What is the landscape? Whether you look at a physiological process or an innovation system, product or service you always need to take into consideration the bigger picture. I truly believe effective research and development depends on an open and honest systems approach - understanding and solving complex questions by viewing them as interconnected systems rather than isolated parts. 

UKFV: Post PhD, your research branched out into the study of fungal disease in pine. What challenges do fungal diseases also present in agri food?  

BC:  This links to the global challenges that I mentioned previously. With the increased changes in growing conditions such as water availability and temperature, the susceptibility of crops to diseases and pests has also changed. The impact on food production has therefore also increased, sometimes in unexpected ways. Also, there is a need for field effective and cost-effective solutions that do not harm our health and the planet’s. 

UKFV:  What excites you about bringing your knowledge into the UK? 

BC:  Coming from an academic background in Portugal, I was excited to have the opportunity to join a Knowledge Transfer Partnership in the UK, which gave me an excellent start into the private sector. This allowed me to use my scientific and professional skills on a more applied basis and put me in contact with a new, wide industry.   

UKFV: Ensuring enhanced consumer satisfaction in potatoes and working towards a more sustainable fresh produce supply chain have been central to the research grants you received while working at B-hive Innovations Ltd. Could you please tell us more about what links these projects?  

BC:  Of course. The first step is conducting the right research and therefore having the right information to be able to implement the necessary changes that will enhance the systems you are targeting. After this, you need to get both the industry and the public on board with the science. Innovation in areas such as gene editing is something that consumers must be comfortable with.  New scientific capability means nothing if the public doesn’t back you up.   

UKFV: What areas of agri food do you believe will be at the forefront of innovation in the next 10 years? 

BC:  I believe we will soon see the industrial and widespread adoption of robotics/automation and precision breeding.  It will be interesting to watch the implementation of innovation in both of these areas.