Environment, agriculture and food strategic research programme 2016-2021

Land Management and Rural Economies

Research within this Theme builds on the existing scientific evidence base to strengthen the performance and sustainability of agricultural systems in Scotland. As part of that research, Theme investigators will be working to better understand how land can be managed for greater societal benefit and explore how rural industries, including agriculture, can best adapt to key future challenges.

WORK PACKAGE 2.1: CROP AND GRASSLAND PRODUCTION AND DISEASE CONTROL

The aim of Work Package (WP) 2.1 is to provide the science needed for Scotland to improve the efficiency and resilience of crop production whilst protecting the environment and rural communities.

The science is useful to a broad range of end users, from government to businesses, and aims to strengthen the performance and sustainability of agricultural systems in Scotland. Tools, knowledge and practical approaches will be delivered to support the productive and sustainable management of rural economies by rural communities.

Building on previous Strategic Research Programmes, the research aims to provide the evidence base to underpin resource use efficiency and increased production of quality food from agricultural land (e.g. sustainable intensification) to improve the competitiveness of Scotland’s rural economies, and to help Scotland become a “Good Food Nation”, through activities promoted by Scotland’s Food Commission. Plant disease (amongst others) is a key challenge to resource use efficiency in agricultural crop production and the aim for WP 2.1 is to tackle that challenge at all scales, from an understanding of host-pathogen interactions, to explaining patterns of infection in the environment and ultimately to informing disease control strategies.

WP 2.1 will deliver, against a background of environmental change, to sustainable intensification, food security and improved agricultural practice through:

• The provision of crop cultivars and varieties with improved quality, yield and resource efficiency traits, which are resilient to key biotic and abiotic stresses with a focus on barley, potato and soft fruits.
• Integrated Pest Management systems which translate an understanding of plant-pest interactions, host resistance, epidemiology and new disease threats, supported by the use of monitoring, modelling and diagnostic technologies to improve crop performance.
• Outputs that contribute to more efficient production systems, healthier soils and more sustainable rotations delivered through the uptake of best practice by stakeholders facilitated by close stakeholder interactions and co-ordinated Knowledge Exchange strategies.
• Realising the potential of novel and minor crops that could underpin the circular or bio- economy by developing novel methods and approaches to support their integration into existing rotations, practices, processes and supply chains.
• Research that is underpinned by the best use of resources and technologies including germplasm and pest collections, computational analyses, statistical modelling, diagnostics, and metagenomics.

WORK PACKAGE 2.2: LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION, HEALTH, WELFARE AND DISEASE CONTROL

The aim of Work Package (WP) 2.2 is the production of healthy animals that can be managed sustainably to produce food. Livestock health and welfare plays a fundamental role in the sustainable management and productivity of Scottish livestock agriculture.

This will be achieved by improving animal characteristics, health management and welfare assessment. Ultimately, more efficient livestock production will reduce waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve global food security. The science is useful to a broad range of end-users, from government to businesses in all parts of the livestock supply chain. It will have national and international impact.

Building on previous Strategic Research Programmes, and the mechanisms of knowledge exchange developed in them, new opportunities for communication with stakeholders and enhancing impact will be exploited.

WP 2.2 will deliver knowledge, technologies, and tools which will have impact through:

• The application of genetics and genomics to increase productivity in the beef and sheep sectors.
• Exploration of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying endemic diseases.
• The design and development of new diagnostic tests which are specific, sensitive, affordable and speedy.
• The design and development of new vaccines which are safe, effective, practical and affordable.
• Improving baseline measurements of disease and health status.
• Epidemiological studies, which will identify the dynamics of endemic disease transmission, assess their impact on livestock health and evaluate methods for control both within and between farms.
• Validation of existing and new methods of assessing animal welfare, and improvement of practical, on-farm methods of livestock husbandry.
• Research exploring the relationships between diet, grazing behaviour, genetics, metagenomics and greenhouse gas emissions, to meet requirements for sustainable production of Scottish livestock.

WORK PACKAGE 2.3: AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS AND LAND MANAGEMENT

The aim of Work Package (WP) 2.3 is to help provide the science needed for Scotland to improve the efficiency of production of good food whilst protecting the environment, rural communities and animal welfare.

The science is useful to a broad range of end users, from government to businesses, and aims to strengthen the performance and sustainability of Scottish agricultural systems by delivering the tools (e.g. disease control, welfare and genetic tools), component science (e.g. microbiology, physiology, behaviour and ecology), integrative concepts and approaches (e.g. systems and socio-economic approaches) and their application and demonstration in rural communities and environments to support the Scottish Government’s strategies and policies relating to the productive and sustainable management of rural economies.

Agriculture faces an ever-increasing demand to achieve enhanced productivity/economic resilience in a sustainable manner, including minimising adverse impacts while fostering positive changes on the environment (greenhouse gases (GHG), air, soils and water), product quality (including human health attributes), animal health & welfare and crop/plant/soil health. Combinations of solutions will be required within an integrated management framework and a greater understanding across scales is needed to provide robust solutions for future application.

WP 2.3 focuses on agricultural systems, developing the science from the previous Strategic Research Programme, in addition to establishing new areas of integrative science. The research in WP 2.3 aims to provide the evidence base underpinning resource use efficiency and the production of increased amounts of good food from agricultural land (e.g. sustainable intensification) to improve the competitiveness of Scotland’s rural economies, and to help Scotland become a “Good Food Nation”, including through the activities of Scotland’s Food Commission. Significant improvements in resource use efficiency have already been realised (including from the Scottish Government’s Main Research Providers research in previous Strategic Research Programmes), for example in breeding and genetics. WP 2.3 aims to continue these trajectories, as well as improve rates of return through new innovations and thus improve the competitiveness of Scotland’s agricultural production and rural economies.

WP 2.3 aims to enable the generation of more sustainable agricultural land use across Scotland. This will be achieved through a mix of natural sciences in combination with social sciences to both understand and value current and likely future land use systems through:

• Research that contributes to greater efficiency and resilience of livestock farming that also leads to improvements in the quality, health and welfare of livestock.
• Developing systems that take account of the effect of both farm management and the wider environment in order to control diseases in animals and crops.
• Encouraging land management methods that limit impacts to soil, air and water quality.
• Finding ways to encourage greater take up of GHG reduction measures in agriculture, and also developing new approaches that contribute to the Scottish Government target of reducing GHG emissions by 80% by 2050.
• Demonstrating how ‘big data’ in agricultural supply chains and industry networks can help improve their efficiency, and how new technologies and sensor systems may play their part in those systems.
• Examining how sustainable agricultural businesses can thrive while maintaining a balance with the environment and communities in which they operate.

WORK PACKAGE 2.4: RURAL INDUSTRIES

The aim of this Work Package (WP) is to examine the main drivers for change facing Scotland’s rural economy and identify ways in which rural industries and Government policies can adapt to these challenges. Scotland’s land-based and other rural industries are entering a period of uncertainty and change driven by policy and legislative developments (e.g. reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and implementation of the Land Reform Act), volatility in commodity markets, climatic changes and potentially new trade agreements.

This research package will assess the causes and consequences of these various drivers on not just key rural industries but also the wider Scottish rural economy. Of particular interest will be understanding the impact of the 2014-20 CAP reform which has the potential to have profound implications for the economy of the land-based sector. This work will help inform the next CAP reforms likely to begin in 2019.

While the focus is primarily on agriculture, the research will also cover other prominent sectors in the rural economy such as forestry and tourism. Recognising the importance of sustainable economic growth, the research will also consider how environmentally sustainable key sectors in the rural economy are and explore the potential trade-offs and opportunities around enhancing the circular economy.

A key element of this research will be close dialogue with policy and analytical colleagues in the Scottish Government to ensure not only that the research can explore specific areas of interest, but also that the findings are understood so they can influence future policy decisions.

The main outputs from this WP over the first two years of the programme will be:

• Develop a range of indicators which can be used to assess the resilience at the farm and rural industry level.
• Examine how this resilience has coped with past extreme events and major changes in policy.
• Utilise this evidence, alongside survey evidence from Scottish farmers, to inform how future drivers of change will impact Scottish agriculture and the rural economy in general.
• The research will develop a model for quantifying the main material and energy flows arising from the production and consumption of biomaterials within Scotland.
• This will enable the identification of key supply chains and hotspots which have high rates of production or consumption of biomaterials or high environmental impacts. Policy options will then be explored for ways of improving the efficiency of biomaterial production and consumption via increased circulatory within the Scottish economy.