Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Archives - Engagement and Impact

Transforming UK food systems for disadvantaged communities

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Reading and four partner universities are working alongside food, government and civil society stakeholders to address food poverty in culturally-diverse disadvantaged communities....Read More >

Making cocoa farming in Ghana sustainable

More sustainable cocoa farming is now possible thanks to research co-developed by University of Reading crop and soil scientists working with Ghanaian partners. Through participation and training events, farmers and...Read More >

Flower-powered farming boosts biodiversity and crop yields

Planting insect-friendly flowers alongside crops is helping smallholder farmers in India improve fruit and vegetable yields while using fewer damaging agrochemicals, thanks to research co-developed by Reading ecologists, alongside Indian...Read More >

Let’s talk about hedges

Our beautiful hedgerows support biodiversity, prevent flooding and counter climate change, but half have been lost in recent decades. A team of Reading researchers are informing the public about their...Read More >

In food we trust

If we are to eat more healthily and sustainably, we have to be able to trust the food system. Reading consumer behaviour experts have worked with an EU body and...Read More >

Research Output Prize 2023 – James Ryalls

Anthropogenic air pollutants reduce insect-mediated pollination services Declines in the numbers and diversity of insects that pollinate our food crops and wild plants are currently considered to be the result...Read More >

Feeding Innovation

We are a major food and nutrition research university, with the connections, impact and facilities to improve the world’s food system.

Shaping agricultural policy

Agriculture policy decisions, including a replacement for the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, are being informed by an annual survey of financial data from 1,750 farms across England. The survey is…Read More >

Polytunnel research comes to fruition

The commercial success of a collaborative research project at the University of Reading is demonstrating how applied science has the potential to revolutionise the global agricultural sector, by bridging the...Read More >

Taking polymer technology into the field

Research by chemists at the University of Reading is being used to develop new materials for commercial polytunnels with the potential to improve the quality, yield, and resilience of soft…Read More >