This report provides selected highlights from the year 2021-22 of the Scottish Government-funded Strategic Research Programme (SRP). The SRP, and its underpinning of SEFARI, is delivering integrated, interdisciplinary research that is creating significant innovation and practice change. The SRP also underpins expertise available for policy advice. Central to this success are SEFARI’s enduring relationships with policy, agency, business and civic sectors across Scotland, UK and globally.
Jonathan Hopkins1, Nick Schurch2, Andy Sarjeant3, Catherine MacNeil3, Mags Currie1, Eilidh MacDonald3, Rachel Forrest3, Heather Smith3, Robin Clarke3
1 Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences Department, The James Hutton Institute; 2 Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland; 3 Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
SEFARI Gateway is delighted to provide funding for a new Fellowship with the Cairngorms National Park Authority as part of the Cairngorms 2030 programme.
This booklet represents the collated outputs from a SEFARI Gateway-funded Fellowship, undertaken by Dr Gemma Miller, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) with the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS). The SEFARI Gateway Fellowships embed a researcher or team of Portfolio-funded researchers with a policy team, agency or sector organisation, with a key focus on working in partnership to deliver to Scotland’s National Outcomes and Sustainable Development Goals.
The Soil Sentinel is a new newsletter circulated every four months as part of Healthy Soils, a five year Scottish Governement funded project delivered as part of the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Strategic Research Portfolio (2022-2027). The Soil Sentinel will provide project highlights and its work with input from other Scottish Government funded projects and stakeholders.
A SEFARI Gateway-funded Specialist Advisory Group brought together a broad range of expertise across key industry stakeholders, Government Policy Leads and relevant SEFARI researchers to discuss livestock health and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), to prioritise health conditions that have the greatest impact on emissions and to identify practical disease intervention strategies and pathways to impact that will encourage uptake across the industry. The Group conducted an online workshop on the 24th of November 2020.
The Royal Highland Show represents one of the key gatherings for the Portfolio, exemplifying its role in partnering research and expertise with and across policy, industry and communities.
In this booklet find out about a range of our activities during the 2022 show (23rd-26th June). Activities are taking place across the showground, at venues such as the Scottish Government Pavilion and the SEFARI Institute Pavilions, and a map is included at the back of the booklet.
Interest in carbon markets has increased rapidly in recent months, leading to new market opportunities and interest in acquiring land to invest in natural capital, typically through tree planting and restoration of degraded peatland habitats. However, the extent to which natural capital investment is driving transactions is unclear, with owners and purchasers potentially influenced by many factors. There is also uncertainty around how large-scale land acquisitions might interact with post-Brexit policies under development across the UK and the interests of rural communities.
Research Briefing
Interest in carbon markets has increased rapidly in recent months, leading to new market opportunities and interest in acquiring land to invest in natural capital, typically through tree planting and restoration of degraded peatland habitats. However, the extent to which natural capital investment is driving transactions is unclear, with owners and purchasers potentially influenced by many factors. There is also uncertainty around how large-scale land acquisitions might interact with post-Brexit policies under development across the UK and the interests of rural communities.
Agroecology in Scotland is understood differently by different people and at times contrary to what constitutes agroecology.
In the face of COVID-19 and the immediate (and anticipated) impact on the food and drink sector across rural Scotland, the Scottish Environment Food Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) established the SEFARI supported knowledge exchange ‘COVID-19 Food and Drink Sector Think Tank for Scotland’s Rural Economy’. The Specialist Advisory Group (SAG) was set up with a core membership and also with the intention of accessing ‘expert advisors’ and wider stakeholders.
This report has been developed with the aim of:
Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) is being established as a new non-ministerial office to monitor Scottish public authorities’ compliance with, and the effectiveness of, environmental law following the UK’s departure from the EU. It will be independent of the Scottish Government and will be responsible for ensuring that public authorities in Scotland comply with environmental law.
March 2022 update on database based on the Peatland Action Programme in Scotland.
The landscape for society, industry and policy is ever evolving but the last few decades have seen a sharpening focus on the key issues of climate change and the sustainable use of resources. This has led to the development of policies and initiatives around factors mitigating and adapting to climate change and activities, particularly industrial, that deliver equivalent or enhanced outputs but with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. All of this highlights a shift away from fossil fuel-based feedstocks and the requirement for sustainable and renewable resources and processes.
This report is the output of a Fellowship project aiming to increase the understanding of the animal health, agri-tech and aquaculture (AAA) sector in Scotland and improve understanding of opportunities and challenges facing the sector. This was achieved through creation of an inventory mapping key stakeholders in the sector across Scotland and a survey to key stakeholders.
The final, of four educational posters on the topic of water, created as part of the Water Words (see related blog) Responsive Opportunity Funded Project.
This report provides selected highlights from research and Knowledge Exchange (KE) during 2020-21, which reflect the strengths and benefits of long-term strategic funding from the Scottish Government. The SRP is delivering integrated, interdisciplinary research that creates significant innovation and practice change, while also underpinning expertise to support advice for policy and practice. Central to this is SEFARI’s enduring relationships with policy, agency, business and civic society across Scotland, UK and globally. SEFARI Gateway is the Centre for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation for the Portfolio.