Newsletter – November 2024
This is our newsletter for November 2024. Please note that this page is not updated, so deadlines may have passed and links may no longer work. To receive future newsletters, please join our network.
News
This year’s successful scoping studies
We’re excited to announce the 15 successful scoping studies, which we’ve funded this year, all of which support the UK agri-food sector through the transition to a net zero UK by 2050. The projects have received more than £500,000 in total, and address some of the critical challenges we face as we work towards a more sustainable food system. Supporting innovative collaborations between academic researchers and food system practitioners, these 15 projects provide critical research and practical solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing carbon storage in the soil and building a more sustainable food system across the UK. More details on this year’s funded projects
Budget and policy update
In the last few weeks we have been looking into what the new Labour government, and its first budget, might mean for agri-food. If you have missed our coverage, here are some of the resources to catch up on:
What could the Labour government do if it really wanted to tackle the issues in the food system? And what has it already done? Read our briefing with insights from Hannah Brinsden, head of policy and advocacy at The Food Foundation, and Andrew Meredith, Editor at Farmers Weekly. Or watch the webinar on which it is based.
What does the Autumn Budget mean for the agri-food sector? Our new Policy Champions have written some analysis. Elta Smith provides overall analysis, while Emily Norton looks at the implications for farming and land use, and Ali Morpeth digests the outlook for food and health.
Read our digests providing a quick update on the implications for food and health and farming and the countryside.
Webinars
Inheritance tax changes – what do they mean for farming & net zero?
Thursday 7th November, 1.00 – 2.00pm
One story has dominated the media since the Chancellor’s Budget: The decision to reduce Agricultural Property Relief for farming businesses. What could the impact be on farming and its ability to weather the changes ahead and lead the transition to a more sustainable food system? How might the changes affect farmers’ ability to reduce emissions or enter into natural capital markets and contracts? What are the many nuances at play, including culture, emotional ties, wealth and business viability? Our two speakers will explore this for us and try to make sense of things. They are Emily Norton, our AFN Network+ Policy Champion for Land, Agriculture and Carbon, and Jason Beedell, head of rural research at Strutt & Parker, one of the UK’s largest land agents. The webinar will be chaired by Jez Fredenburgh, Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the AFN Network+, with input from Prof Neil Ward, AFN co-lead. Both are based in the Environment Department at the University of East Anglia.
‘World building’ and ‘behaviour change’ – how to make sustainable diets easy
Wednesday 20th November, 11.00am -12.00pm
How do we build a world where healthy and sustainable diets are the easy and normal choice for everyone, regardless of location, income and other cultural factors? And how can political discourse be encouraged towards leadership and action? Our two speakers, Lauren Leak-Smith and Ed Whincup, work for the Behavioural Insights Team – originally established as a research unit within the UK government and now an independent consultancy working on behavioural change, globally. The webinar will be chaired by Jez Fredenburgh, Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the AFN Network+, with support from Neil Ward, AFN co-lead. Both are based in the Environment Department at the University of East Anglia.
Event
Save the date: Big Tent 2025
Our Big Tent is the main meeting of the year for the AFN Network+, where stakeholders from across the agri-food sector come together for two days of learning, collaboration and networking. Next year’s event will be held on the 11 and 12 March in Manchester. Please save the date in your calendar. Read more about this year’s Big Tent.
News from the AFN Champions
Events
Winter Webinar: Integrating Diverse Leys and Livestock into Arable Rotations
Monday 18 November 2024, 3:30pm–5:00pm
Organised by Charlotte Wheeler, Year 2 AFN Champion for Circular Food Systems, join Professor Jonathan Leake from the University of Sheffield, Dr Lydia Smith from NIAB, and Dr Emily Cooledge from Bangor University for a whistlestop tour of their research surrounding the integration of herbal leys/diverse swards into arable rotations. What are the benefits of incorporating diverse leys into arable rotations? What do land managers need to consider, both before and in the long-term? How can leys contribute to farm resilience, and net zero?
News from the wider agri-food sector
Funding
Wellcome Discovery Awards
This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing.
Deadline: 3 December 2024
More details
SHAKE Climate Change
SHAKE Climate Change is a not-for-profit investment and entrepreneur support programme led by Rothamsted Research in a consortium with Cranfield University, University College London and the University of Hertfordshire. They have just opened a call for applications to join their 5th Cohort of entrepreneurs and start-ups who are combating climate change with science or tech-based ideas in the areas of agriculture and food production. It is an opportunity to gain extensive business mentorship and £125k in funding to turn ideas into reality.
Deadline: 6 January 2025
More details
UKRI: Pre-announcement: Future Leaders Fellowships: Round 10
This opportunity is for an early career researcher or innovator who is either:
- looking to establish or transition to independence
- developing their own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting
You must be based at, and have the support of, an eligible academic or non-academic institution eligible for UKRI funding. There is no minimum or maximum project cost. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC). Your project can last for up to four years, with the option to apply to renew for a further three years.
Opening date: 3 February 2025
Closing date: 18 June 2025
More details
Event
Countryside COP4
4 – 8 November 2024 | Various locations and online
Countryside COP provides a platform for anyone interested in the countryside to hear how the UK’s rural economy and agriculture can help tackle climate change and improve sustainability. Spokespeople from farming, local authority, education, research, finance and more will set out the challenges and vision for farming and the countryside.
IFEAA Deep Dive – Reducing GHG emissions in agriculture
Tuesday 19 November, 10am – 4:30pm | Bath
Agriculture is the largest source of CH4 and N2O emissions in the UK. This event will bring together the latest insight into measurement and abatement of these emissions to support action to reduce the environmental impact of farming. Harley Stoddard, Head of Climate Mitigation Science at Defra, will be speaking at the event, and other sessions will include expert presentations on emissions sources, measurement techniques, and methods to reduce emissions or prevent their escape into the atmosphere. The event will take place at the University of Bath’s state-of-the-art IAAPS facility and will include lunch and an optional tour.
Traditional Retail Markets in the UK and their potential in the food system
Wednesday 20 November 2024 12:00 – 12:40pm | Online
During this talk Sara González from the University of Leeds will provide an overview of her research on traditional retail markets in the UK, which has evidenced the social, economic and cultural value they generate for local communities. She will focus on their role as provisioning spaces for affordable and fresh food in urban food systems and their potential for contributing to a just food transition.
Wales Real Food and Farming Conference
20 – 22 November | University of Wales Trinity St David, Lampeter
Sponsored by the AFN Network+, the Wales Real Food and Farming Conference was established to explore sustainable food and farming, bringing together farmers and other food businesses, environmentalists and people involved in public health, food education, food sovereignty and social justice. Its aim is to open conversations and take positive steps about the future of food in our country, mapping out a sustainable 21st century food system for Wales and how we might begin to build it.
Microbiology Society annual conference
31 March – 3 April 2025 | Liverpool
The Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2025 will take place at ACC Liverpool. The Conference takes place over four days and consists of scientific symposia, workshops, fora, professional development sessions, Prize Lectures, Hot Topics and more. The abstract deadline is on 12 November. The programme includes a policy- and industry-facing session entitled ‘Beyond the Lab; turning your research into reality’.
Submit Your Proposal: TCX-YORK Conference: Organising for Transformations
25 – 27 June 2025 | York
The Transformation Community is holding a conference in York next year. The conference will explore how to organise more effectively to support transformational and systemic change and overcome significant contemporary challenges such as climate change and health and social issues. The deadline for proposals is 30 November 2024.
Publication opportunity
Contribute a Food Science and Nutrition case study
Why not contribute a Case Study to CABI’s Food Science & Nutrition Cases? It is not like a standard academic paper, more about generating a resource for practitioners, public stakeholders, academics, teachers, and students. Here’s one of the open access articles, Ethics and Food Scientists: Duties, Issues and Dilemmas, to give you an idea.
