Blog

The Scottish Government aims to become a global leader in sustainable agriculture, deliver high quality, nutritious food while minimizing impact on climate and our environment. This will clearly require a collaborative and inclusive approach to enable understanding of the competing issues and where different sectors can work more effectively together to achieve the required goals.

Overconsumption and high levels of resource use are challenges contributing significantly to the climate and biodiversity crises. Scotland is currently only 1.3% circular, meaning that over 98% of the products consumed in Scotland come from newly extracted materials, and only a small proportion of these materials are ‘cycled back’ into use in the economy.

To help a group of scientists and experts across Scotland’s Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutions (SEFARI) build their skills around media engagement, SEFARI Gateway recently funded two media training sessions with former senior editors who now specialise in media training and strategic content at Second City Creative.

We are well into the summer holidays and you might be dreaming of a desert island getaway. Well, look no further. It’s time to pack your bags and join us on Solarpunk Island!

One important and often overlooked aspect of PhD training is the chance to meet other researchers in the same or similar field as you, allowing for knowledge exchange and the forging of new connections.

Therefore, when the opportunity to visit other institutes across SEFARI arose, Karen wanted to capitalize on this. In this blog, find out about Karen’s experience as part of the SEFARI Gateway PhD Exchange Scheme - SEFARI’s second student to make the most of this opportunity.

Serious gaming is a growing field in which games are used to provide a fun and educational method of science communication. Gaming offers opportunities in communicating challenging and complex issues to stakeholders and communities to improve land management practices.

The way we currently produce food and other agricultural products is under threat from the changing climate, depleted biodiversity, and declining availability of natural resources used to boost productivity. We know that farming systems need to shift towards co-delivering for nature and net zero, but this needs to happen without compromising production and food security.

On the 4^th of July Arable Scotland returns for the 5^th year, a field event which is becoming a firm favourite in the calendar with everyone interested in food production. Farmers, producers, researchers and the policy community come together to discuss key issues such as innovative and sustainable farming.

SEFARI Gateway was delighted to sponsor and host a session at the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) Conference at the Birmingham International Conference Centre at the end of March. Its annual conference regularly attracts several hundred delegates, drawn from across academia and the livestock sector.

Scotland has the potential to become a global leader in the insect farming and industry, which could help with circular economy objectives, reducing food waste, and support the aquaculture, agriculture, and food and drink sectors. Equally, as there is an increasing demand for sustainable protein sources for animal feed in the country, insects could reduce our dependence on imported protein sources and create opportunities for local production.