SEFARI Gateway and NatureScot are seeking an individual researcher, or small team of researchers, to explore how Scotland’s Agriculture and Knowledge Information System can better support a just transition to sustainable and regenerative agriculture, so that Scotland can achieve its vision of becoming a world leader in this area. We are providing support for a new Fellowship in collaboration with NatureScot.
Background
Scottish Government’s vision for agriculture includes an ambition for Scotland ‘to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.’ The ‘adoption and use of sustainable and regenerative agricultural actions or measures aligned to a set of principles’ is one of four overarching objectives of the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024. The recently published Code of Practice on Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture sets out five regenerative principles and describes regenerative agriculture as agriculture that (inter alia) ‘produces food and other agricultural products whilst also improving the natural asset value of the land, particularly soil health and function and the biodiversity value’.
For the agriculture industry to adopt and apply regenerative principles, we need an effective Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) that enables evidence and knowledge to reach people on the ground in ways that influence behaviour and practice. Scotland’s AKIS is represented by the combined interactions, knowledge flows and practices instigated between people, organisations and institutions in the agricultural sector. Key stakeholders in the AKIS include supply chain actors, farmers, crofters, farm advisory services and advisors, land-based business organisations, and research and education providers, including research institutes, universities and colleges.
Scotland’s Agriculture Reform Programme includes the phasing in of a new support framework under 4 tiers, namely Tier 1 – Basic Payment, Tier 2 Enhanced (e.g. measures to reduce GHG emissions), Elective (e.g. targeted action for specific habitats) and Tier 4 Complementary – measures that complement Tiers 1-3 by providing access to continuous professional development including training and advice. An effective AKIS will therefore need to align with the objectives and priorities for Tier 4 support.
In light of these changes to the support framework and the overall objectives of Agriculture Reform, the purpose of this research is to examine which organisations and activities in the current AKIS are most effective in influencing behaviour and practice in relation to sustainable and regenerative agriculture and to explore what changes might be needed to that system to help more farmers adopt the use of more sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices.
The Fellowship
We are seeking an examination of Scotland’s AKIS and proposals emerging from the ongoing AKIS review through the lens of sustainable and regenerative agriculture. More specifically, while recognising SG actions to develop a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) regime, we require a Fellow(s) to:
examine the capacity of the existing system to deliver both general and businessspecific advice to farmers and land managers to help them transition to more sustainable and regenerative farming systems
provide recommendations on changes to the funding and operation of AKIS that would better support the transition to more sustainable and regenerative farming systems
The following questions might be used to guide the Fellowship:
Which organisations in the existing AKIS and which approaches are the most influential in terms of changing the behaviours and practice of land managers?
How might we encourage the entry of a broader range of providers into the system?
What is the current capacity (c.f. demand and need) of the most influential organisations (in terms of skills, knowledge and numbers of personnel) to deliver:
general advice on transitioning to more regenerative agriculture?
business-specific advice on transitioning to more regenerative agriculture?
Which elements of the existing AKIS are currently the most significant and effective in terms of delivering:
general advice on transitioning to more regenerative agriculture?
business-specific advice on transitioning to more regenerative agriculture?
What is the relative level of public and ‘private’ (fee-for-service advisors, food-chain actor, upstream/downstream industries) investment in these elements of the system (those supporting regenerative approaches) c.f. elements of the system that primarily support more conventional approaches to agriculture.
How do we increase capacity in the most influential organisations to deliver general and business specific advice on regenerative agriculture?
How might we encourage a broader range of providers to contribute to the AKIS?
How might potential new approaches to service provision emerging from the AKIS Review impact on the capacity of AKIS to deliver general and business specific advice on regenerative agriculture?
Approach
The Fellow(s) is expected to devise their own methodology for addressing these questions, although it is anticipated this may include online survey, interviews and focus group discussions. The successful applicant(s) will iterate an approach in agreement with NatureScot, Scottish Government (RESAS) and SEFARI Gateway. Depending on what emerges, some changes to the scope and approach may be required during the project.
Audience
A key audience for the work will be policy makers and other stakeholders involved in Scotland’s Agricultural Reform Programme
Required Outputs
A draft report setting out the evidence base, addressing the questions outlined above.
The draft report will form the basis for an in person (or hybrid) workshop bringing together policy leads and other researchers to sense-check the findings and recommend next steps.
A final report.
Duration and Time
The deadline for final report from the Fellowship is 28th February 2026.
The distribution of time on the project will be jointly agreed by the Fellow(s), NatureScot and SEFARI Gateway.
Practicalities and resources
The details of the final Fellowship work plan will be iterated and agreed with the successful Fellow(s).
The Fellow(s) should expect to spend the equivalent of up to 42 days (to a maximum total funding of £27,000 for time, funded through SEFARI Gateway and NatureScot) on the project, although the exact number of days, their timing, and their pattern through the working week will depend on personal circumstances. We anticipate the Fellowship running for a maximum of ~5 months.
Please note that costs should be submitted net of VAT recovered by the applicant. Applicants should seek advice on appropriate VAT treatment of proposed funding. Travel and subsistence and to support any workshop costs will be agreed and funded separate to the FTE costs, and up to a maximum of £5,000.
Eligibility and further details
The central focus of this Fellowship is to the ENRA Portfolio. The Fellowship is open to applicants from staff:
from any SEFARI Organisation o ENRA Portfolio Centres of Expertise
Staff within any UK Higher Education Institution (or Research Institute) o Please note, you do not need to have been previously funded by Scottish Government via the Portfolio to qualify for SEFARI Gateway funding.
Applicants must have the support of their organisation
Sign-off should be at the level deemed appropriate for each organisation (please talk to your line manager), but Directors/Chief Executives of your Institute (or University school as appropriate) should be made aware.
The taking of such an opportunity should not result in a candidate going beyond the end of any agreed contract they may have with their employer.
It is recognised that individual circumstances are different and support levels will vary depending on salary, distance from the opportunity and so on – the support level will be kept under review to try and maintain a fair and equitable competition and process. The organisation of the successful fellow(s) should not expect to meet any costs beyond that paid for by SEFARI Gateway.
The successful candidate(s) will be expected to contribute to relevant meetings or outputs for the project partners as the Fellowship progresses and to generate knowledge exchange related content, including a case study, for SEFARI Gateway.
How to apply
Applications must be made to: info@sefari.scot and should include a cover letter (two pages of detail on your suitability or that of the team) and a two-page CV (or up to 6 pages for a team). Decisions on who to interview will be based solely on this letter and CV.
The cover letter should include:
why you are interested in this opportunity and what you hope to get from it;
what skills and experience you would bring to this role;
how you propose to address the objectives of the Fellowship;
what you would do to take the learning back into your organisation and to maintain links with the project’s stakeholders, SEFARI Gateway and the ENRA Portfolio.
Team-based applications should demonstrate how they propose to manage individual contributions to satisfy the degree of multi-disciplinary integration required.
The deadline for applications is 17th October with an expected start date of the end of October.
If you have any questions on this, or any general aspect of the SEFARI Fellowship scheme, please contact Jenny Fyall, research and communications manager, SEFARI Gateway, at:
jenny.fyall@sefari.scot
