Katrin Prager is Reader (Associate Professor) in the Department of Geography and Environment. Originally from Germany, she was trained in landscape planning and management, and then focussed on sustainable land management and governance.
The aim of this fellowship was to identify current and potential market opportunities and describe the supply chain for hempseed and fibre in Scotland.
Author: Dr Wisdom Dogbe.
Castration and tail docking of lambs are commonly performed management procedures in sheep farming. These interventions aim to prevent unwanted pregnancies caused by young rams that reach puberty, and to minimise risk of blowfly strike and maggot infestation of the breech, respectively. However, the procedures themselves cause pain and hence reduce sheep welfare.
Genetic biodiversity is the fuel that drives crop improvement. However, in major cereal crops, while the traditional method of crop improvement has brought significant yield improvements over time, it has also resulted in a drastic loss of crop genetic biodiversity.
As a result, many of our crops have lost resilience, becoming potentially vulnerable to a range of stresses, from environmental factors to disease. Continued loss of genetic diversity could severely affect crop yields and threaten the sustainability of economically and socially important end uses.
The use of antimicrobials in livestock farming has proven essential for maintaining animal health, but are known to contain resistant bacteria due to the use of antimicrobials in livestock. As bacteria become resistant to these treatments, they can spread resistance genes into the wider environment when animal manure or slurry is used as fertiliser.
The 11th edition of The Spark, SEFARI Gateway’s Newsletter, an update on the latest research developments from the Scottish Government’s Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) strategic research programme.
Domestic agriculture provides most of our food consumption and contributes to export revenues and rural livelihoods. At the same time, it is a key sector where management and production changes can reduce pressure on the environment, including air, water, climate and biodiversity.
More efficient and better targeted use of nutrients both in crop and livestock production has positive impacts on a range of policy outcomes in the UK, as has been highlighted in policies for climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, circular economy, competitiveness and public health.
Achieving food security has gained prominence in the present policy agenda to increase resilience to adverse events. Using a novel method, we estimated the food balance sheets of Scotland, and assessed the self-sufficiency of major food commodities for the first time. We found that Scotland can produce enough cereal, potatoes, lamb, beef, dairy, and eggs to meet its own needs, but it still depends on imports of poultry and pork. Wheat and dairy from Scotland are especially important, as they significantly contribute to the nation's overall energy, protein, and fat intake.