You are in > Home > News & Events > News > SAC Research Responds to ‘Call to Arms’
RSS Feed
See Also
- SAC Research
- In Research
Featured Topics
- Follow us on Twitter
-
- Follow SAC News & Events
- Technical Notes
-
- Technical publications funded by the Scottish Government
SAC Research Responds to ‘Call to Arms’
The Rosliin Institute Building (opens in new window)
SAC’s Research Division has restructured its activities to ensure it is better placed than ever to help agriculture meet the challenges of food security, climate change and ecosystems degradation.
A re-organisation of existing research capability has created two new groups – ‘Future Farming Systems’ and ‘Animal and Veterinary Science’. In addition, a new Innovation and Behavioural Change team has been established within the thriving Land Economy and Environment Group. This new team will also have strong links with the Carbon Management Centre. SAC’s well-respected Crop and Soil Systems Group will continue its research supporting the development of resilient and sustainable crop production.
Explaining the rationale for the restructuring, Professor Geoff Simm, SAC’s Academic Director and Vice Principal Research, said: “Agriculture is facing its biggest ever challenge – to meet the growing global demand for food with diminishing means of supply while doing so safely, ethically and equitably and improving the environment rather than adding to the burden of climate change.
“While SAC has been undertaking research in these complex areas for a long time, we recognised that the various elements of our work needed to be more visible with a greater critical mass.”
Geoff added that the decision to restructure was reinforced by a number of high profile reports, which call for more research into how farming systems across the world can meet its ‘grand challenges’.
“These reports give a very timely call to arms to those undertaking agricultural research, and the changes within the Research Division will help SAC rise to the many new opportunities in our sector,” he said.
The Future Farming Systems Research Group is central to SAC’s contribution to these issues as it focuses on developing farming systems which produce more food with less impact on the environment, and with more efficient resource use.
The Animal and Veterinary Science Research Group comprises animal breeding, health and welfare teams now based in the new Roslin Institute Building in Easter Bush Edinburgh. This has not only created greater cohesion among the SAC staff in that location but is also enhancing communication with University of Edinburgh staff in the Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.
The aim of the Innovation and Behavioural Change Team is to better understand and stimulate behavioural changes and innovation within the land-based sector in relation to the uptake of environmental and efficiency related technologies.
For more information about SAC’s wide-ranging research, visit SAC Research.