"Not only does this strengthen the case for peatland restoration to contribute towards achieving net-zero, but it also offers adaptive management options for peatlands where continued agricultural use may be an economic and societal necessity" Substantial cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions could be achieved by raising water levels in agricultural peatlands, according to a new study co-authored by James Hutton Institute scientists and published in the journal Nature. Peatlands occupy just three per cent of the world’s land surface area but store a similar amount of carbon to all
"Everything from sophisticated vertical farming systems, which could be incredibly disruptive by making the growing of food independent from land and weather, through to regenerative agriculture and rewilding some of our land, these are all issues we are working on jointly" A partnership agreement has been signed between Utah State University and the James Hutton Institute to promote cooperation in agricultural and environmental research, with emphasis on climate change issues. The agreement was signed by Professor Colin Campbell, Chief Executive of the James Hutton Institute, and USU
"We are actively seeking the views of anyone involved in the food system in the UK, such as farmers, processors, retailers and in the supply chain to help us inform pandemic recovery planning and future food system resilience" How will food production respond to the effects of COVID-19 in the next 18 months? Which sectors are likely to experience change? These questions are at the heart of research examining how best to protect the UK’s food and nutrition security from the impact of climate change, and for which views are being actively sought. More information from: Bernardo Rodriguez-Salcedo
"This project is a truly international collaborative effort and embodies the ethos of the new £27m Advanced Plant Growth Centre initiative. It aims to deliver increased commercial, economic and environmental benefits to the agricultural and food and drink sectors by innovative use of precision-controlled environment technologies" An industry team led by agritech specialist Liberty Produce and supported by the James Hutton Institute has won Innovate UK funding to develop innovative hybrid farming and greenhouse technologies to work towards Singapore’s food security and net-zero goals. More
3D map peatland “Traditional models created from stereo aerial photography do not offer the level of detail and accuracy required for these types of landscape, so to support the fine-scale hydrological modelling we have planned we turned to Bluesky and their high-resolution LiDAR” Researchers from the James Hutton Institute are deploying aerial mapping technology to collect data on the natural restoration of peatland at the Queen’s Balmoral Estate in Scotland. A survey aircraft equipped with advanced laser scanners is being used to create highly detailed 3D models of upland peatland, with the
Agrifood systems “We found that all three of the triple threats are mitigated in more diverse agricultural pathways, whereas they tend to be worsened in simplified systems. Importantly, we know that a lot of the negative impacts are disproportionately felt by marginalised communities” More information from: Adam Walker, Communications Officer, James Hutton Institute, Tel: 01224 395095 (direct line), 0344 928 5428 (switchboard). read more