Sustainable Food Production Research Group

Delivering food security sustainably from catchment to coast
Tractor mowing field by the sea

Sustainable Food Production Research Group

Delivering food security sustainably from catchment to coast
 
Sustainable Food Production is a cross-disciplinary group of academics and their research teams who together study all aspects of food production and its impact on the natural environment. Creating systems for long term food security while maintaining ecosystem services and biodiversity is a key global challenge. We work on productive systems in marine, freshwater and land-based environments taking a data intensive approach to understanding the issues.
We welcome formal and informal enquiries from prospective postgraduate students, post-doctoral researchers, visiting academics and industry or other end-user partners to work with us at °µÍø½âÃÜ. Please contact research group leader Dr Jennifer Rowntree for further details.

Research themes

Plant productive systems - cereal field
Plant productive systems

Our research encompasses plant physiology, plant health, secondary metabolites and species interactions. We are interested in how plants respond to stressors, and in the development and use of controlled environments for pharmaceuticals and food.
Mussels
Animal productive systems

We work with terrestrial, freshwater and marine animals researching how movement, behaviour, nutrition and pollution impacts animal welfare, food production and the wider environment.
Infra red photo of a curly horned sheep
Automation and sensor technology

We are developing technology to measure and assess productive environments from catchment to coast. With these tools we are tracking movement, assessing behaviour and health, monitoring environmental conditions and estimating biodiversity.
 
 
 

Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries

At °µÍø½âÃÜ, a broad perspective on aquaculture and fisheries management is enabled by our transdisciplinary, systems-thinking approach.
From the health and nutrition of farmed fish, crustaceans and bivalves, to marine conservation, fish tracking, habitats and natural capital, our research explores how all of these diverse elements help contribute towards responsible marine and freshwater food production, and, in doing so, how they support coastal economies and contribute to the national food security agenda.
 
Responsible and Restorative Aquaculture
 

Can freshwater crabs be a sustainable food source?

Maintaining food security in India is an ongoing challenge. °µÍø½âÃÜ research, led by Dr Lucy Turner, investigates the aquaculture potential of freshwater crabs, which are frequently harvested for trade and consumption in the Western Ghats region. Working with collaborators Nitte University and the National Centre for Biological Science, the project hopes to offer a social-economically and ecologically sustainable food which can be resilient to climate change and disease.
 
 
 

Meet our team

Academic staff

Research and technical staff

 
 
 

Further study

 
 
 
 
 

Further food security research

 
 
 
Fish Habitat Research Group
Fish Habitat Research Unit
Collecting data in the Plant Factory
Controlled Environment Agriculture Technology
Mussels, a sea urchin and crab, restorative offshore aquaculture John Holmyard
Long-term ecological monitoring of offshore aquaculture

Centre of Research excellence in Intelligent and Sustainable Productive Systems (CRISPS)

CRISPS brings together a vibrant community of transdisciplinary researchers, working towards addressing the challenge of sustainably feeding a global population of 9 billion. Founded upon research excellence in aquaculture, agricultural technology and soil health, and underpinned by investment in cutting-edge facilities, the Centre will create the critical mass required to ensure impactful research and real-world deployment in the UK and beyond.
 
Centre of Research Excellence in Intelligent and Sustainable Productive Systems (CRISPS) lead image showing a hand holding soil and a plant.