{"id":889,"date":"2026-08-14T11:43:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/agrifood-futures\/?page_id=889"},"modified":"2026-08-14T18:51:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T17:51:39","slug":"university-of-reading-x-waitrose-farming-for-nature-programme","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/agrifood-futures\/university-of-reading-x-waitrose-farming-for-nature-programme\/","title":{"rendered":"Farming for Nature programme"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;50px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>A Knowledge Transfer Partnership<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">That ambition sits behind our Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Waitrose \u2013 a partnership that pairs University researchers with a business to solve a real-world challenge, using the latest academic evidence. Funded by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">UK Research and Innovation<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (UKRI), it&#8217;s helping transform British farming by supporting more than 2,000 farmers as they transition to regenerative agriculture by 2030.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;895&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;896&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">World-leading Expertise in Agriculture and Forestry<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ranked number 1 in the UK for Agriculture and Forestry in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reading.ac.uk\/news\/2026\/University-News\/Agriculture-top-in-UK-in-QS-subject-rankings-2026\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">QS World Rankings 2026<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, Reading\u2019s expertise spans soils, biodiversity and climate resilience. Through the KTP, we&#8217;re putting that expertise directly into farmers&#8217; hands \u2013 testing and communicating practical pathways to regenerative farming, and closing the gap between cutting-edge research and what happens on the ground.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>The Programme<\/h2>\n<p>This work sits at the heart of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.waitrose.com\/ecom\/content\/sustainability\/farming-for-nature\">Farming for Nature<\/a> programme, which helps farming businesses adapt and thrive as the food system moves towards greater resilience and sustainability. Within it, our research is driving four areas of change:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Healthier soil<\/strong>: We&#8217;re helping farmers transition to regenerative agriculture, improving soil health to make land more productive for the long term.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Richer biodiversity<\/strong>: We&#8217;re driving techniques such as diverse cropping, restorative periods and the use of livestock to regenerate ecosystems, not just sustain them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Climate-ready land<\/strong>: We&#8217;re building farms&#8217; resilience against the escalating challenges of a changing climate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A stronger system<\/strong>: We&#8217;re helping secure a financially sustainable future for British farmers, and a food supply that works in harmony with nature rather than against it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;897&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Together with Waitrose, we&#8217;re already helping farmers build healthier soil, richer biodiversity and more resilient land \u2013 real progress towards a food system that works with nature. There&#8217;s more still to do as the partnership continues towards 2030, and we&#8217;re proud to be playing our part.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Led by Reading researchers and KTP team<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The partnership is led by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reading.ac.uk\/sustainable-land-management\/our-staff\/simon-potts\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Professor Simon Potts<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, alongside <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reading.ac.uk\/sustainable-land-management\/our-staff\/martin-lukac\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Professor Martin Lukac<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.henley.ac.uk\/people\/keiichi-nakata\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Professor Keiichi Nakata<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/leckfordestate.co.uk\/farming-for-nature\/meet-the-team\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Daisy Wood<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, and the wider <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reading.ac.uk\/research-innovation-hub\/business-engagement-ip-and-consultancy\/knowledge-transfer-partnerships\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">University of Reading KTP team<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;50px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text] A Knowledge Transfer Partnership That ambition sits behind our Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Waitrose \u2013 a partnership that pairs University researchers with a business to solve&#8230;<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"&#104;&#116;&#116;&#112;&#115;&#58;&#47;&#47;&#114;&#101;&#115;&#101;&#97;&#114;&#99;&#104;&#46;&#114;&#101;&#97;&#100;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#46;&#97;&#99;&#46;&#117;&#107;&#47;&#97;&#103;&#114;&#105;&#102;&#111;&#111;&#100;&#45;&#102;&#117;&#116;&#117;&#114;&#101;&#115;&#47;&#117;&#110;&#105;&#118;&#101;&#114;&#115;&#105;&#116;&#121;&#45;&#111;&#102;&#45;&#114;&#101;&#97;&#100;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#45;&#120;&#45;&#119;&#97;&#105;&#116;&#114;&#111;&#115;&#101;&#45;&#102;&#97;&#114;&#109;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#45;&#102;&#111;&#114;&#45;&#110;&#97;&#116;&#117;&#114;&#101;&#45;&#112;&#114;&#111;&#103;&#114;&#97;&#109;&#109;&#101;&#47;\">Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":969,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","footnotes":""},"coauthors":[19],"class_list":["post-889","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8.1 - 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