A multi-million pound programme of strategic research delivered over five years providing science and evidence to support policymakers and its partners. Informed by strong partnerships and the needs of a broad range of stakeholders. Science at the heart of society contributing to the health, wealth and wellbeing of Scotland and beyond.
Protecting Plant and Animal Health to underpin our globally competitive economy and ambition to be a Good Food Nation
Committed to empowered, inclusive and resilient Rural Futures for Scotland’s rural and island communities
Protecting, valuing and optimising the multiple benefits we recieve from our vital Natural Resources
Supporting the large-scale and coordinated transition to net zero and reduction of Human Impacts on the Environment
Leading the way to a Sustainable Food System and Supply contributing to the economy, livelihoods and the health of Scotland
Ongoing research (2022-2027)
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Trade-offs between productivity and sustainability
The key aims and drivers of this research are:
Using and sharing data across supply chains
This RD will involve the development of tools and strategies to promote the increased use of data from across agricultural supply chains and industry networks, for management and feedback, in order to improve efficiency across the agri-food industry. We will focus on developing methodologies to help quantify and communicate the uncertainties resulting from pooling data across the supply chain. We will develop crop and livestock case studies building links with RDs 2.3.9 & 2.4.1 (barley) and WP2.2 & 2.4 (beef supply chains).
Water and its ecosystem functions
To understand how pressures such as problems arising from agricultural and urban land use and, increasingly, climate change affect the biophysical and ecological processes within our catchments. The focus of the research is on understanding how the biophysical and ecological processes within water bodies operate and contribute to the delivery of ecosystem function and health.
Water environment, resilience and adaptation to change
To evaluate the capacity of water resources to adapt to changing environmental and socio-economic conditions, in order to maintain key functions, goods and services (resilience)
Welfare assessment techniques
To improve assessment of animal welfare in order to be able to characterise where animals are experiencing a net positive Quality of Life: Welfare of farmed livestock is an important ethical concern. Policy interest in the concept of 'positive welfare’ underlies our work. For this we aim to develop innovative welfare assessment techniques that improve our assessment of positive and negative welfare and overall Quality of Life.