Defras Research in Sustainable Agriculture

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Defras Research in Sustainable Agriculture

• Dr Sue Popple

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Vision for farming 2020

• A profitable and competitive farming industry,
  that takes on the challenge of climate change and
  is a positive net contributor to the environment.
  
• As an industry it should
• be profitable in the marketplace, continuing to
  produce the majority of the food we consume
• make a positive net environmental contribution,
  notably in respect of climate change, but also
  more widely
• manage the landscape and the natural assets that
  underlie it

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Defras sustainable agricultureresearch
programmes

• Agriculture and Climate Change
• Water Quality and Use
• Food Chain Meeting Consumer Needs
• Sustainable Farming Systems and Biodiversity
• Plant Health

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Agriculture and Climate Change

• Inventories of emissions of pollution gases from
  agriculture to air
• Mitigation of nitrogen and carbon emissions
• Climate change and adaptation in agriculture
• Energy in agriculture and food
• Bioenergy
• Renewable Materials

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• Current research includes,
• Biogas production in the UK
• Vulnerability to extreme events
• Life Cycle Analysis of options for bioenergy
  production
• Calculating GHG emissions from agriculture

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Water Quality and Water Use

• Minimising the adverse impacts of UK agriculture
  on water quality
• Optimising water use by UK agriculture and food
  production industries

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• Current research includes,
• Farm based filters for air and water
• Cost curves for multiple diffuse pollutants
• Tools for influencing behaviour of farmers and
  land mangers

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Food Chain Meeting Consumer Needs

• Efficient food manufacturing and distribution
• Waste reduction and recycling in the food chain
• Quality foods meeting the consumer needs

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• Current research includes,
• Pathogenic fungi in cereal crops
• Exploiting brewing co-products
• Resilience of businesses in the food chain

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Sustainable Farming Systems and Biodiversity

• Organic Farming
• Integrated farming systems a more holistic
  approach

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• Current research includes,
• Field-scale impacts on biodiversity from New
  Crops
• Managing uncropped land to enhance biodiversity
• Developing a fertiliser recommendation system

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Plant Health

• Exclusion of quarantine pests and diseases
• Eradication and containment of plant pests and
  diseases
• Trade facilitation
• Development of optimum policy

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• Current research includes,
• Novel diagnostic techniques for the detection of
  pests and diseases
• Detection and monitoring of quarantine whitefly
  transmitted viruses in protected vegetable crops
• Management of plant health risks associated with
  processing of plant-based wastes

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The future - Generic changes in our needs

• Increasing need for
• Social and opinion research
• Multi-disciplinary (natural social) analysis
  and assessment
• Evaluation of issues and solutions
• Interpretation and advice from research providers
• Collaboration

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