SEFARI – Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutions

SEFARI aims to deliver 'Leading Ideas for Better Lives', reflecting that publicly funded research in Scotland must ultimately deliver positive impact for individuals, whether in Scotland or elsewhere.

As a collective, we collaborate to deliver the Scottish Government funded Strategic Research Portfolio 2022-2027 on agriculture, environment, food, land and rural communities.

Case Studies

Community Wealth Building: Policy, Practice and Case studies

Community Wealth Building (CWB) is a people-centred approach to local economic development, which redirects wealth back int

  • Land and Communities
  • Rural Economy

What can we learn from AKIS policies in Europe?

Over the past decade, the European Commission has invested in a series of measures designed to support innovation in agriculture through networking all those involved in Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS):

  • Agriculture
  • Food & Drink Innovation
  • Rural Economy

Monitoring castration and tail docking of lambs

Castration and tail docking of lambs are commonly performed management procedures in sheep farming.

  • Agriculture
  • Plant and Animal Health

Refreshing crop genetic biodiversity

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

  • Food & Drink Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • Healthier Foods
  • Climate and the Environment
  • Plant and Animal Health
  • Rural Economy

Blog

17 Jan 2025

Biodiversity Monitoring in Scotland: The Evolution of the Genetic Diversity Scorecard to Include Marine Habitats

Biodiversity conservation is essential for the sustainability of our planet.

12 Dec 2024

Fruit and vegetable five-a-day consumption target in Scotland: Are we getting closer?

Fruit and vegetables are vital for a healthy diet providing essential vitamins, minerals, and fibre that also help lower the risk of noncommunicable diseases, such as heart conditions and types of cancer.

News

23 Dec 2024

Funding Call: SEFARI Gateway Fellowship on best practice for permitted peat extraction and restoration

SEFARI Gateway is delighted to provide support for a new co-funded Fellowship with Scotch Whisky Association. We are seeking an individual researcher or small team of researchers to undertake an assessment and recommendation for best practice in licensed peat extraction and restoration.

2 Dec 2024

Funding Call: SEFARI Fellowship on Scotland’s environmental regulatory alignment with EU and other international environmental standards

SEFARI Gateway is delighted to provide support for a Fellowship with Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS).

27 Nov 2024

Funding Call: SEFARI Fellowship with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) on Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) in Rural and Island Communities

SEFARI Gateway is delighted to offer a Fellowship in collaboration with Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Orkney Islands Council (OIC) to investigate business models for Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) in rural and island communities (in the Highlands and Islands).  

27 Nov 2024

Funding Call: SEFARI Fellowship on the co-production of guidance to inform an ethical research protocol for the Community Landownership Academic Network (CLAN)

SEFARI Gateway is delighted to provide support for a new Fellowship in collaboration with the Community Landownership Academic Network (CLAN).

12 Nov 2024

Sustainable Farm Networks: Demo farm connectivity mission gathers momentum

The Sustainable Farm Networks initiative (SFN), linking diverse demonstration farm networks to meet to work together to improve communication between research, farm practice and food system policy, is gathering momentum.

Events

13 Feb 2025

Healthy Soils for a Green Future

The Healthy Soils project team, funded through the Rural & Environment Science & Analytical Services (RESAS) Division of the Scottish Government, is organising the third annual meeting to update key stakeholders and policy teams on progress.

26 Nov 2024

Science and the Parliament 2024

Science and the Parliament is organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry, on behalf of, and in cooperation with, the Scottish science and engineering community. The event is designed to foster close relations with policymakers and key stakeholders.

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