These two organisations represent two extremely valuable sectors of the livestock industry in Scotland, together contributing in excess of £700 million to the Scottish economy annually (Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation & Quality Meat Scotland figures, 2017).
Food and Drink is a hugely important sector for Scotland and the UK economy, generating a turnover of £14.4 billion and £5.3 billion of GVA (gross value added) for the Scottish economy in 2014 alone. This sector not only has an impact on Scotland’s economy but food production can also has a significant influence on our environment, health and society and these are all areas that SEFARI research aims to a make a difference.
You may be wondering what we can do to help? Well, at the Centre for Sustainable Cropping (CSC) near Dundee, we’re aiming to develop a cropping system that can produce high quality food, whilst still maintaining a healthy environment. This means using what we understand about ecology to work with the environment to improve the health and physical structure of the soil, minimise the losses of nutrients and chemicals from cultivated fields, and support a rich variety of farmland wildlife.
New fruit varieties of soft fruit are continually produced by breeders, who aim to develop plants with improved characteristics in line with consumer tastes and trends as well as modern growing and production systems.
I am a Senior Research Fellow at the Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen. Trained as a molecular biochemist I joined the Institute after research-based roles at the University of Würzburg, Germany and the Hannah Research Institute, Ayr, Scotland.
My main research interests are in the area of metabolic health, including obesity, cardiovascular health and diabetes. My lab investigates the potential of phytochemicals in combatting metabolic disease and the role of early life nutrition in determining life-long metabolic health consequences.
My research interests are in plant product quality especially in food applications. I have applied various analytical techniques, including metabolomics, to model how agronomy, climate, genotype or processing influences plant biochemistry and final product quality. I have a particular interest in determining how the levels of health beneficial components are genetically controlled in soft fruits. I have focused on polyphenols and their effects on human health.
Luiza is an applied economist based at SRUC and specialises in agri-environmental economics. Her main research interests are behavioural economics applied to food waste and recylcing, land and water use, climate change, consumption of higher welfare and healthy food products, uptake of animal disease control technologies; economic modelling of the linkages between trade, animal health and welfare, and the environment; and analysis of environmental efficiency of knowledge and innovation transfer.
Faical is an applied economist at SRUC who specializes in consumer behaviour, demand analysis, consumer research methods and econometric modelling. His research helps answer many questions in economics such as food marketing, environmental economics, health economics, welfare economics and development economics.
New and emerging diseases of plants and animals are one of the greatest threats to food security and natural resources today. These emergences are accelerating, driven by the effects of climate change, trade and human movement of plant and animal material.