This page lists the news items which are older than a year. Items newer than a year can be viewed on our main News page.
21 Mar 2020
Coronavirus Update
Due to COVID-19 measures, SEFARI are moving all activities to the virtual environment for the forseeable future. Our intention is to continue exisiting projects and exploring future opportunities as much as feasible during the challenging times ahead.
20 Mar 2020
Soil health: our most prized asset
The James Hutton Institute
"It is fundamental and vital that soil health is appropriately funded and supported if we are to tackle the global challenges that our planet faces"
18 Mar 2020
Social tipping dynamics key to stabilise Earth’s climate by 2050
The James Hutton Institute
"'Social tipping’ describes the rapidly accelerating process of societal transformation that must replace existing incremental approaches if catastrophic climate change is to be avoided"
16 Mar 2020
Exploring the potential of biochar to help farmers and the environment in India
The James Hutton Institute
“We hope this research will realise the value of crop residues and result in better air quality, reduced degradation of soils, improved crop production and additional income to farmers”
10 Mar 2020
PhD research showcased at Hutton 2020 postgraduate event
The James Hutton Institute
"This event provides a valuable learning experience for Hutton students in communicating their work to the wider scientific community and promotes a collegiate atmosphere"
6 Mar 2020
Blight map reveals evolution of potato disease in Europe in 2019
The James Hutton Institute
“The weather in 2019 was very dry and unfavourable for late blight development in some regions but very conducive for blight in other regions like Denmark and Northern Britain”
4 Mar 2020
Hutton expertise contributes to parliamentary land reform inquiry
The James Hutton Institute
"To achieve the overall objectives of the Right to Buy Land to Further Sustainable Development, the required specifications should be designed to be flexible throughout the application process, and community bodies offered professional support where appropriate"
3 Mar 2020
From Lab Bench to Backbench
The Rowett Institute
Dr Silvia Gratz from the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute will be swapping a lab coat for legislation this week when she visits Ms Elizabeth Downes at the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall for a week in Westminster.
2 Mar 2020
Professor Lesley Torrance announced as Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
The James Hutton Institute
“The RSE fellowship has a unique breadth of experience in academic disciplines, the arts and business and fellows contribute to contemporary issues to benefit Scotland and beyond. I look forward to helping to further its aims and objectives”
26 Feb 2020
Exploring legume nodulation in the deepest reaches of the Amazon
The James Hutton Institute
"We are trying to build up a pattern of how nodulation evolved in these more primitive and mainly tree relatives of the advanced crops peas and beans in order to see how we might engineer a simple symbiosis into maize"
25 Feb 2020
Arable Scotland 2020 to tackle key industry challenges
The James Hutton Institute
"Sustainability and the twin issues of climate and biodiversity set the scene but solutions will be the focus of the day"
By Professor Fiona Burnett, Co-chair, Arable Scotland
More information from:
24 Feb 2020
Hutton scientist awarded grant to explore genetic pathway to better barley
The James Hutton Institute
"This research will help demonstrate the first known mechanism controlling recombination in barley and promises to reveal a new way to influence the breeding of large genome crops"
21 Feb 2020
Agricarbon: helping farmers tap into the carbon credits market
The James Hutton Institute
"It is vital that this carbon benefit is realised in the short term to address the climate crisis"
19 Feb 2020
World’s first ‘climate positive’ gin produced from peas
The James Hutton Institute
"This is not simply a story of a new gin but is in fact another great example of Scottish teamwork and ingenuity. Nàdar is fully provenanced as a sustainable Scottish product"
11 Feb 2020
New research highlights long-term impact of flooding on communities
The James Hutton Institute
"Such flooding continues to have a significant impact on people’s personal well-being, livelihoods, and property. This study reveals the consequence of such events on people and communities and the potential legacy of such increasingly frequent damaging storms, both now and into the future"
10 Feb 2020
Pulses, sustainable 'superfoods' for the future
The James Hutton Institute
"The fascinating possibilities offered by pulses are the subject of close study by scientists at the James Hutton Institute, from their use in health foods for humans and animals to novel uses"
6 Feb 2020
Now available: February 2020 issue of Hutton Highlights
The James Hutton Institute
"We'd love to hear what you think of it, so please send us your comments"
5 Feb 2020
A systems perspective on sustainable agriculture: ‘MAGIC’ approach presented at European Parliament
The James Hutton Institute
"Policymaking in this area is incredibly challenging and can benefit from new, more holistic, analytical approaches to identify where change is needed, and to better anticipate the consequences of potential interventions"
23 Jan 2020
Agroforestry and peatland restoration can help deliver shift in land use, Hutton researchers say
The James Hutton Institute
"There are many potential benefits from agroforestry, from a production point of view but also in terms of biodiversity and we know that farming in the future will have to take into account much more than just producing food"
21 Jan 2020
Potential yield challenges to scaling-up Zero Budget Natural Farming in India
The James Hutton Institute
"There are conflicting opinions about how Zero Budget Natural Farming should be developed for widespread use, and this report provides scientific evidence on the potential for scale-up"