22 Sep 2020

Recommendations for landscape-level adaptive management for ecological, economic, and social outcomes

Improving the management of Scotland’s natural assets at a landscape-level for ecological, economic, and social outcomes is a priority for the Scottish Government and its partners.

  • Climate and the Environment
  • Agriculture
  • Land and Communities

11 Sep 2020

Approaches to reducing potato waste by improving home storage and minimising greening

Potato is the number one wasted household food by weight, estimated at over 700,000 tonnes and with a cost of £555M per annum in the UK. Nearly half of the fresh potatoes bought by UK householders are thrown away.

  • Agriculture
  • Plant and Animal Health

25 Aug 2020

Making Worms Squirm: Sustainable Worm Control in Lambs through Precision Livestock Farming

Electronic identification (EID) tags have been compulsory in UK sheep flocks since 2010, and a decade after their introduction, can still be a controversial topic.

  • Agriculture
  • Climate and the Environment
  • Plant and Animal Health

13 Aug 2020

The cost of peatland restoration in Scotland

Peatland restoration could make a considerable contribution in achieving national emission targets and is a vital part of Scotland’s strategy in moving towards net zero emissions.

  • Climate and the Environment
  • Land and Communities

8 Jul 2020

Modelling the effect of social networks in reducing meat consumption

Our food consumption is guided by perceive norms and the food choices of others around us. In the UK today, unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable diets are most commonly eaten (the norm).

  • Healthier Foods
  • Climate and the Environment

19 Jun 2020

Protein for Life – Supporting healthy ageing in partnership with the food sector

Protein intake is insufficient among middle-aged and older adults in the UK, and this insufficiency is a major contributor to ill health and disability.

  • Food & Drink Innovation
  • Healthier Foods

10 Jun 2020

Nematodirus battus: Is it likely to spiral out of control?

Farming practices are evolving in response to intensification, diversification and climate change. As farm management has changed, pathogens of livestock have also adapted to optimise their reproduction and transmission opportunities.

  • Plant and Animal Health
  • Agriculture

3 Jun 2020

Not all roots are equal – so what?

Soil is, and always will be, a very valuable resource. Soil is critical for food production and regulating several services to the wider environment, such as flood regulation and storing carbon.

  • Climate and the Environment
  • Land and Communities
  • Agriculture

18 May 2020

The Islands (Scotland) Act 2018: Evidence needs for improving outcomes for Scotland’s island communities

The Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 introduced several measures to ensure that there is a sustained focus across the Scottish Government and the public sector to meet the needs of island communities, now and in future.

  • Land and Communities
  • Rural Economy

14 May 2020

Pigs and Poultry Optimising Production

With support from the SEFARI Gateway Responsive Opportunity Fund, Moredun Research Institute (MRI) and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) jointly organized and hosted an

  • SEFARI Gateway
  • Plant and Animal Health
  • Animal Health & Welfare

5 May 2020

How can technology help ensure authenticity, provenance and traceability in Scottish Food Products?

The following case study summarises work delivered as part of a SEFARI Fellowship with Scotland Food and Drink (SFD) undertaken during 2019 to ascertain the current state of play regarding the technologies best suited to authenticity, provenance and traceability strategies. 

  • Food & Drink Innovation
  • Healthier Foods

7 Apr 2020

How can we safeguard biodiversity through values and governance?

Despite many initiatives to safeguard biodiversity, recent analyses and reports show that biodiversity continues to decline at the global level.

  • Climate and the Environment

1 Apr 2020

Diversity in the Mix: The benefits of biodiversity for sustainable crop production

We are currently facing three major global challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss and the development of sustainable food production systems. Ideal solutions to these challenges would be ones that deliver win-wins, addressing at least two of these simultaneously.

  • Climate and the Environment
  • Agriculture

6 Mar 2020

Environmental Indicators: Nature Showing Us the Bigger Picture

The Scottish Government is currently responding to a multitude of grand and complex environmental challenges, such as biodiversity loss and climate change. But how do we know if these responses, or the money spent on delivering them, are having the desired effect?

  • Climate and the Environment

2 Mar 2020

Peatbog restoration in Scotland – How to care for Cinderella

In this project we looked at what makes people care about peatland restoration. Peatbogs are important because of their ability to store carbon, regulate water flows and provide a home for rare species of plants and animals. Nevertheless, peatbogs are often described as a hard-to-love ‘Cinderella habitat’.

  • Climate and the Environment

25 Feb 2020

Reflecting on Islands Revival and Introducing Research on the Edge

2019 was an important year for Scotland's islands, with the development of The National Islands Plan, an increased focus on repopulation, and concern abou

  • SEFARI Gateway
  • Land and Communities
  • Rural Economy

7 Feb 2020

Tail biting in pigs: developing a machine vision early warning system for farmers

Tail biting affects growing pigs in Scotland and around the world and has no simple solution. It begins in a sudden and unpredictable way, then spreads through a group.

  • Plant and Animal Health

22 Jan 2020

Connecting research and management needs for the Cairngorms National Park

The following case study summarises work delivered as part of a recent SEFARI Fellowship with the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA).

  • SEFARI Gateway
  • Climate and the Environment

10 Dec 2019

Protecting Potatoes - Scotland's Story

Since the emergence of late blight (Phytophthora infestans) in the 1840s this disease has presented a major challenge to the potato industry, with annual losses estimated to be £55 million in the UK.

  • SEFARI Gateway
  • Science Education
  • Climate and the Environment
  • Agriculture

4 Nov 2019

A Test is Best: A New Sheep Scab Blood Test Helps Control Disease on the Isle of Mull & Iona

Sheep scab is a highly contagious disease caused by infestation with the mite Psoroptes ovis. It is endemic in the UK, notifiable in Scotland and has significant economic and welfare impacts.

  • Plant and Animal Health

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