{"id":340,"date":"2024-07-01T11:00:54","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T10:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/agrifood-futures\/?p=340"},"modified":"2025-02-21T19:29:55","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T19:29:55","slug":"announcement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/agrifood-futures\/announcement\/","title":{"rendered":"New farm supports plan to transform the future of food"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The University of Reading has agreed an ambitious plan to transform the future of food and farming through research.<\/p>\n

The University has today (Monday 1 July) agreed a comprehensive plan for investment in research areas for agriculture and food and has completed a circa \u00a316 million purchase of land at Tanners Farm, Farley.<\/p>\n

The 635-acre site includes pasture, arable land and woodland, and is around five miles south of the University of Reading\u2019s Whiteknights campus, and close to the University\u2019s existing farming facilities at Hall Farm, near Arborfield.<\/p>\n

The purchase of Tanners Farm, and the adoption of the Agrifood Futures Strategy, are significant events that will extend the University\u2019s farming resources, marking a milestone in more than a century of agricultural research and education.<\/p>\n

With the possibility of an updated Local Plan for Wokingham allocating parts of Hall Farm for a new garden village, the additional farmland will ensure there is ample space to continue the University\u2019s world-class research, in a location that is still close to the University\u2019s other facilities.<\/p>\n

Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: \u201cThe study of food and farming has been at the heart of the University\u2019s work for more than a century. This new strategy will secure the future of agriculture at Reading for the next century to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is to develop new methods and partnerships that will transform the way healthy, sustainable food is produced in Britain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is another important step to raise Reading\u2019s position among the world\u2019s best for agricultural research. In time, this strategy and additional farmland will give our researchers the ability to find answers to critical questions of food security and sustainability. It will provide our students with hands-on experience as they train to become our future food growers and the stewards of the countryside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The funds for the purchase come from the University\u2019s long-term capital investment funds. The University\u2019s overall investment asset capital will remain broadly unchanged.<\/p>\n

The new farm is an addition to the University\u2019s existing agricultural facilities around Reading, which includes mixed farmland and facilities in Arborfield, Shinfield and Sonning.<\/p>\n

Tanners Farm currently includes arable land where milling wheat, feed wheat and barley is grown.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Future of food<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Agrifood Futures Strategy looks to position Reading to address some of the most important and complex challenges facing the global food system of 2050. It aims to align the University\u2019s research with a vision for everyone globally to be able to consume a sufficient, healthy, sustainable and affordable diet that leaves the lightest possible footprint on the planet.<\/p>\n

The strategy identifies three interlinked priority research areas, focusing on transformation to a resilient and fair food system; environmentally friendly farming systems; and developing healthy and sustainable foods.<\/p>\n

The University currently has a large existing farming portfolio, including significant dairy and crop research. The University of Reading is ranked among the top 30 universities in the world for\u00a0Agriculture and Forestry (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024),<\/a>\u00a0behind only Oxford and Cambridge in the UK.<\/p>\n

Research carried out on Reading\u2019s farms has included:<\/p>\n