A multi-million pound programme of strategic research delivered over five years providing science and evidence to support policymakers and its partners. Informed by strong partnerships and the needs of a broad range of stakeholders. Science at the heart of society contributing to the health, wealth and wellbeing of Scotland and beyond.
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Research
Ongoing research (2022-2027)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 34
Agriculture climate and carbon
This project provides new approaches for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from agriculture and land use in Scotland, establishes a database of management activities contributing to the mitigation of GHG emissions, investigate new approaches to GHG mitigation, and assess the potential for land management activities to contribute to carbon sequestration. Engagement with stakeholders will explore barriers to uptake of mitigation measures.
- Agricultural Greenhouse Gases
- 2022-2027
CentrePeat
This project delivers underpinning and integrated research for: (i) emission factor updates and activity data, (ii) the development of a specific Peatland Monitoring Framework, (iii) improved Natural Capital accounting, further development of the Peatland Code, and (v) improved carbon auditing tools that include climate risk assessments.
- Soils
- 2022-2027
Crop Improvement for sustainable production in a changing environment
Changing environmental conditions necessitate adaptations in Scottish agriculture. This project investigates the development of crop species that are resilient to combinations of environmental stresses whilst using resources more efficiently. We test the hypothesis that utilisation of latent diversity in crop species can improve both resource efficiency and stress tolerance.
- Crop Improvement
- 2022-2027
Drivers and barriers for adopting healthy and sustainable food swaps in young adults
This project aims to identify the most effective food swaps, based on an individual’s diet, that makes their shopping basket more healthy and environmentally sustainable; and monitor in real-time whether physiological, psychological and environmental factors, at an individual level, affect the adoption of such food swaps and make individual diets healthier and more environmentally sustainable, in young adults.
- Food & Drink Improvements
- 2022-2027
Exploring barley diversity for resilience and sustainability
We explore the biological consequences and potential practical applications of natural genetic variation found in the primary barley genepool to address future priorities in low carbon cereal agriculture. This is a contemporary barley genetics, genomics and informatics research project focused on scientific discovery and impactful translational biology.
- Crop Improvement
- 2022-2027
Feeding and breeding strategies for climate resilient and sustainable dairying
We are working with Holstein cows from representative genetic lines and typical feeding systems to investigate relationships between milk production, efficiency and the ability to withstand the effects of climate change on feed supply and composition. We are developing new measures of feed variability, describe it for typical feeding systems and investigate effects on milk production and cow health. This is done with diets designed to reduce C footprints. Our aim is to develop optimal breeding and management strategies for climate smart production, climate resilience and enhanced...
- Livestock Improvement
- 2022-2027
Habitat management and restoration
This project assesses how specific land uses and management activities affect biodiversity and ecosystem services to inform land use policy.
- Biodiversity
- 2022-2027
Identifying the causes of biodiversity change with specific references to the Intergovernmental Science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services drivers
The aim of this project is to identify how the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) drivers affect key parts of Scotland’s biodiversity.
- Biodiversity
- 2022-2027
Improving livestock productivity and sustainability through management and genetics
This project investigates how age, grazing management, early life events and tolerance to parasites affects livestock productivity and associated environmental impact.
- Livestock Improvement
- 2022-2027
Modelling the current and future greenhouse gas emissions and wider impacts in the Scottish beef, sheep and dairy sectors
This project is developing better targeted greenhouse has policies and industry initiatives, thus contributing to achieving Scotland’s net zero goal and reductions in the emissions intensity of Scottish food commodities. It combines scientific modelling and national scale data to improve the prediction of future greenhouse gas emission reduction scenarios in agricultural production, the cost-effectiveness of solutions and their wider environmental impacts. The specific focus of the project is ruminant systems, given their importance in Scottish agriculture, however, the tools and analyses...
- Large Scale Models
- 2022-2027