Synthesis: Optimisation of future agriculture

Aims and objectives:

This Work Package will synthesise the other research areas within the ASSIST programme and produce new research to address the following areas:

  • Optimisation of land-use at multiple scales, integrating across farm, landscape and national scales and incorporating trade-offs
  • Resilience to present shocks and future change, bringing together multiple scales and considering socio-ecological systems
  • Scenarios of future change and responses, considering impacts to future policy and societal changes

Key outcomes include:

  1. Identifying optimal trajectories towards sustainable intensification
  2. Supporting the design of future multi-functional landscapes delivering sustainable and resilient food production
  3. Providing stakeholders with a valuable tool to position farms along the trade-off continuum of environmental services vs. productivity

Relevant publications:

We have contributed to the following paper which will be published during 2017. See our summary diagram below.

Bullock, James M.; Dhanjal-Adams Kiran L.; Milne Alice, Ilver T.H.; Todman Lindsay C.; Whitmore, Andy P. & Pywell, Richard F. (in press) Resilience and food security: rethinking an ecological concept. Journal of Ecology.

Work package 4 diagram

Lead scientists:

Prof. James Bullock (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) 

Prof. Andy Whitmore (Rothamsted Research)

Dr. Alice Milne (Rothamsted Research)