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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.
Explore our research projects
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. It incorporates regional case studies and qualitative, quantitative and spatial analysis methods to provide recommendations for policy interventions and land-based funding models, which are aligned with both land use and land reform policy.
- Land Reform
- 2022-2027
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
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
Foodborne pathogen infections and antimicrobial resistance are real health crises. We use our bacterial collection to identify species that inhibit foodborne pathogens and compare transferable resistance genes in Campylobacter and commensal strains to understand the role of intestinal bacteria as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance, and identify new ways to prevent the environmental spread of zoonotic pathogens and antimicrobial resistance.
- Diet & Food Safety
- 2022-2027
This project develops understanding of increasing production and use of Scotland’s fruit and vegetables through a multidisciplinary, systems-led approach examining production, supply and distribution. The project focuses on scientific practices underpinning sustainable agroecology and draw in external stakeholders and socio-technical innovations along food supply chains.
- Food Supply & Security
- 2022-2027
Changing human behaviour is central to achieve the highest possible standards of welfare. This project is addressing this by enhancing our understanding of behaviour, and by developing human behaviour change interventions to improve animal welfare.
- Animal Welfare
- 2022-2027
This project develops the science and skills needed to work in an ‘agile’ way with policymakers and stakeholders on computer modelling at the whole-of-Scotland scale. We are working on a framework for monitoring soils; mapping our land capability and how it is affected by climate change; and simulating the effects of agricultural payments, trade, and technology change on rural businesses.
- Large Scale Models
- 2022-2027
Working with public and private data sources, we are developing new systems to integrate data to help develop, test and identify implementation routes for national level livestock improvement tools.
- Livestock Improvement
- 2022-2027
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
This project considers the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on dietary behaviours and impacts on health and well-being in Scotland using information from a large household survey. We focus on whether people changed how much fruit and vegetables they ate, how much alcohol they drank, and whether they worried more about buying healthy food. We also assess whether mental health and overall life satisfaction changed, and whether that affected diet.
- Human Nutrition
- 2022-2027