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 17
Co-designing and implementing best-fit farming practices
The project assesses the influence of trigger events on basic and best-fit practices. New approaches for influencing farmer behaviour are being co-designed with farmers and industry stakeholders, empirically tested through applied agroecology, parasitology and experimental economics, and promoted through on-farm demonstrations, workshops, training events and multimedia campaigns.
- Improving Agricultural Practice
- 2022-2027
Collaboration within Scotland’s food and drink supply chain
Effective business relationships in vertical supply chains are thought to: (a) reduce uncertainty (b) improve access to crucial resources and ⁄or (c) raise business productivity. This project aims to review the status-quo of collaboration and engagement between various stages of Scotland’s food and drink supply chain; to identify those points under acute pressure in the wake of recent shocks and recognising their strengths and weaknesses; and to identify means by which collaboration can be enhanced.
- Food & Drink Improvements
- 2022-2027
EU Exit: challenges and opportunities for animal welfare
To maintain and improve animal welfare despite the UK's EU Exit, we will analyse how lower welfare standards from importing countries could impact farm sustainability, provide evidence on welfare issues relating to relevant standards, inform welfare aspects of CAP replacement, and develop welfare assessment methods (informed by emerging international standards). A selection of topical case studies will be produced and guided by policy developments.
- Animal Welfare
- 2022-2027
Improving the resilience to shocks of Scottish food and drink supply chains
This project is developing tools and a framework to serve as the basis for future reviewing of the resilience of supply chains. These tools are used to understand the vulnerabilities and strengths within the Scottish food and drink supply chain – as a whole and sub-industry specific. The supply chains we are considering are pigs, beef, dairy and potatoes. Finally, within each supply chain, the project is identifying practical applications of the framework to demonstrate the value of investment and novel forms of intervention.
- Food Supply & Security
- 2022-2027
Issues related to the demand of fruits and vegetables in Scotland
This project consists of an analysis of the Scottish demand for fruits and vegetables to help produce a detailed set of scenarios and recommendations about the scope and potential value of increasing soft fruit and vegetable production in Scotland. We are addressing topics such as: consumers' willingness to buy products out of season, consumers' interest on alternative to supermarkets retailing models, consumers' provenance preferences, and interest in plant-based products.
- Food Supply & Security
- 2022-2027
Mapping major supply chains within the Scottish food and drink industry
This project maps major food supply chains both within Scotland and those where Scottish industries are heavily involved to improve our understanding of how hey operate. To achieve this aim, we propose a methodology to be able to update changes in the maps, a modelled analysis of individual sectors that demonstrates where value is created, added, and lost during the supply chain, and to use the modelled analysis to simulate various scenarios whereby the value in the supply chain could be increased and distributed in Scotland among producers and processors.
- Food & Drink Improvements
- 2022-2027
Opportunities for Scottish food industries in existing and new markets
Using large datasets related to trade, launching of products, and consumer purchases, this project is studying current trends in markets relevant for the Scottish food and drink sector.
- Food & Drink Improvements
- 2022-2027
Practical on-farm solutions for welfare and sustainability: solutions to chronic welfare problems
Agricultural practice is plagued by intractable and challenging welfare issues, which are increasingly the focus of consumer attention and legislative restrictions, such as separation of mothers and offspring, use of painful procedures, chronic disease issues and the confinement of animals in limited space or with limited opportunities to express natural behaviour. This work seeks to resolve these chronic issues through adoption of new techniques, novel approaches and implementation of innovative technology.
- Animal Welfare
- 2022-2027
Reimagined policy futures: Shaping sustainable, inclusive and just rural and island communities in Scotland
This project combines large-scale citizen science through a new Rural Exchange, secondary data analysis, in-depth qualitative work with stakeholders and rural and island communities, policy reviews, and international learning. The project provides recommendations for new and re-designed policy interventions to ensure sustainable, inclusive and just futures for rural and island communities.
- Rural Communities
- 2022-2027
Tools and technologies: development of new populations, genotyping tools and methods for trait dissection to support horticultural crop improvement, sustainability and resilience
Crop production in Scotland faces many threats. Varieties that withstand the many challenges’ growers face are essential. We are using novel plant populations and tools that examine behaviour under complex stresses and plants’ genetic content to develop high quality resilient crops, reduce inputs and allow the Scottish population to locally source more fruit and vegetables.
- Crop Improvement
- 2022-2027