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Research

Research

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.

Plant and Animal Health

Protecting Plant and Animal Health to underpin our globally competitive economy and ambition to be a Good Food Nation

Sustainable Food Supply System

Leading the way to a Sustainable Food System and Supply contributing to the economy, livelihoods and the health of Scotland

Human Impacts on the Environment

Supporting the large-scale and coordinated transition to net zero and reduction of Human Impacts on the Environment

Natural Resources

Protecting, valuing and optimising the multiple benefits we recieve from our vital Natural Resources

Rural Futures

Committed to empowered, inclusive and resilient Rural Futures for Scotland’s rural and island communities

Ongoing research (2022-2027)

Displaying 11 - 20 of 37
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
Food and drink innovations: models of policy support and other incentive mechanisms

This project is providing evidence for understanding factors leading to demonstrable change in innovation and investment in Scottish food supply chains, in particular the role of policy and government support through (1) mapping and (2) ranking incentives to innovation uptake by their effectiveness; and (3) developing models of support to innovation uptake at supply chain level feeding into an innovation uptake incentive framework at sectoral level.

  • Food Supply & Security
  • 2022-2027
Fruit for Thought: Investigation of nutrition and health properties of new soft fruit crops grown in Scotland

Soft-fruit producers have an increasing need to find more climate resilient crops that require fewer inputs in terms of labour and pesticides. To make these changes producers, need help, namely getting the public to have confidence in the new types of soft fruit. The aim of this project is to investigate the healthiness of the alternative soft fruit crops grown in Scotland to help to market them.

  • Human Nutrition
  • 2022-2027
Healthy diets for a healthy weight: exploring physiological mechanisms related to dietary fibre and non-nutritive sweeteners

The Scottish diet remains poor quality and a main factor in driving unhealthy weight. To reduce the burden of diet related disease, this project explores public attitudes towards nutritional factors, namely food additives (specifically artificial sweeteners) and dietary fibre. The purpose of the study is to understand how dietary fibre influences appetite and food intake and then, how sweeteners may disrupt this response. We are implementing two human diet trials to investigate these key dietary components on physiological mechanisms associated with appetite control for a healthy weight....

  • Human Nutrition
  • 2022-2027
Hemp: a climate resilient crop for the future of Scottish agriculture
Hemp project picture

The Scottish Government's Climate Change Plan includes reference to carbon sequestration options for agriculture. This project research supports hemp, a climate resilient crop, for stimulating Scottish farming sector to run greenhouse gas removal activities, identifying opportunities for the Scottish food and drink sector to promote sustainability and by understanding nutrition sufficiency and consumer acceptance of hemp food as part of low carbon footprint diet.

  • Crop Improvement
  • 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
Modelling the socio-economic, greenhouse gas and natural capital impacts of land use policy and opportunities (2)

This project is increasing our understanding of the impacts of land-based funding mechanisms on land values, and related outcomes for landownership diversification and land use change. The project incorporates regional case studies and qualitative, quantitative and spatial analysis methods. It provides recommendations for policy interventions and land-based funding models which are aligned with both land use and land reform policy.

  • Natural Capital
  • 2022-2027
Modelling the socioeconomic, greenhouse gas and natural capital impacts of land use policy and opportunities (1)

This project applies different modelling approaches to assess opportunities and impacts of land use in Scotland. Synergies and conflicts in land use policy are explored to identify how multiple objectives can be achieved. The greenhouse gas inventory is being disaggregated to holding level to identify hotspots for emissions and mitigation potential. Farm business models are scaled up to regional levels to identify patterns of responses to policy and management change. And, natural capital is modelled spatially to explore ecosystem service supply and opportunities. 

  • Land Use
  • 2022-2027
Nitrogen deposition impacts in natural ecosystems

Nitrogen emitted from farming, industry and domestic sources impacts negatively on the wider countryside. This project examines the impacts of nitrogen deposition on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in Scottish natural habitats and the interactions between nitrogen impacts and climate change. Methods for monitoring nitrogen impacts will be developed and the potential for mitigation are explored.

  • Air Quality
  • 2022-2027

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