Documents

Rural Scotland comprises 98% of Scotland’s land mass and is home to 17% of Scotland’s people. In 2018, the GVA of the rural economy was reported to be £37.6 billion which represents 26% of Scotland’s total. The work in the Rural Futures theme is investigating some key long standing issues for our rural and island communities. The projects are summarised in this document.

Scotland’s natural resources (air, soil, water, biodiversity) supply many essential ecosystem services which benefit human health, safety and wellbeing.  They are also key to addressing climate change and biodiversity decline, and in promoting sustainable land use and a green economy.  To protect, enhance and optimise the benefits we receive from our natural resources, we need better information about their status and quality, how and why they are changing, and how best to manage and protect them. This document provides a summary of each project within the Natural Resources theme.

The Human Impacts on the Environment theme brings together research on activities that have a direct environmental impact including on the climate, land use and resource use. The individual projects within the theme are summarised in this document.

The 8th edition of The Spark, SEFARI Gateway’s Newsletter, an update on the latest research developments from the Scottish Government’s Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) strategic research programme.

The Sustainable Food System and Supply research theme is investigating all topics on food from sustainable and secure food production to supporting a safe and healthy diet. The interdisciplinary research goes from farm to fork, contributing to the economy, people's livelihoods and the health of the nation. This document contains a brief summary of all the individual projects.

Lay summaries for the projects within the Plant and Animal Health research theme. This document summarises the work ongoing to protect and develop high quality agricultural crops and livestock to underpin Scotland's growing food sector. The work is required to provide confidence against a background of uncertainty generated by climate change, shifting world trade patterns and the spread of diseases and pests.

A SEFARI Gateway Fellowship Report prepared by Dr Michaela Roberts.

This fellowship’s objective was to: “Undertake research and evidence collation and analysis to produce a report that develops a framework for assigning costs for delivering biodiversity outputs, using a sample of actions drawn from the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Delivery Plan.”

A SEFARI Gateway Specialist Advisory Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been created to advise the Scottish Government on the use, future opportunities, risks and regulatory aspects of AI both as being used, or might be applied, to support Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) policy in Scotland.

This report outlines the initial workshop's findings which considered key questions, such as what is meant and understood by AI in an ENRA context, issues with data availability and completeness, and the specific ethical issues of data and AI in the fields of environmental science and agriculture.

Report prepared by: Dr Ellen W. Evans ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Foodborne Toxoplasmosis: Detection of viable parasites in retail meat poster presented at Shaping the Science for Scotland’s Food Future event held at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh on 18th April 2024.

The 7th edition of The Spark, SEFARI Gateway’s Newsletter, a monthly update on the latest research developments from the Scottish Government’s Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) strategic research programme.

Official end of project report for RI-B7-02: Revalourisation potential of agricultural waste materials into a sustainable source of health-promoting dietary fibre.

The “You Are What Your Food Eats” Conversation investigated the long-term effects of land-use decisions on climate change and the food chain and, in particular, which crops can be grown locally, by traditional or alternative methods, to provide the nutrition for a healthy diet.

This series of Conversations was funded by the Scottish Government Climate Change Engagement Programme and SEFARI Gateway, and was organised through collaboration between SEDA Land, The James Hutton Institute and Scotland’s Rural College.

This report summarises the information provided to, and discussed with, the Scottish Government by a SEFARI Gateway-funded Specialist Advisory Group (SAG). The aim of the SAG was to draw on the individual and collective expertise of a group of academics to provide information and advice to the Scottish Government on its introduction of a rural lens and on its Rural Delivery Plan.

SEFARI Gateway brings you the 6th edition of The Spark, the monthly update on research developments from the Scottish Government's Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) Strategic Research Programme.

Policy note offering recommendations on the better integration of research-based data sources that support land use policy making.

Recipe for making rosehip bread

Slides outlining the Fellowship project 'estimating the nutrient value of agricultural products' - Benjamin JJ McCormick

Innovative Knowledge Exchange project slides for 'careers and skills for a future climate'

This booklet is dedicated to sharing science education resources created across SEFARI which cover a variety of Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) topics, are free to access, and were designed on the premise that learning is for everyone.