Centre for Rural Economy

Resilient agri-food systems and the environment

Agriculture, resilient agri-food systems and the environment

Agriculture is vital for human survival globally. It is a relatively small but important industry in the UK.

Farmers' impact on landscape and environment

It not only provides us with food and related products. It has shaped our rural landscapes over thousands of years. The ways in which farmers use the land have profound implications for the:

  • environment
  • animal welfare
  • rural livelihoods
  • trading relationships across the world

It affects the natural ecosystem services we all rely on such as:

  • clean water
  • beautiful landscapes
  • carbon storage

In the UK, Brexit means farmers will have to reconsider many of their management plans. Climate change provides a backdrop which the industry has to keep in mind.

Our research

CRE research informs policymakers and practitioners so they can plan for the future.

It helps support producers to make agriculture more economically and environmentally efficient. It also helps to make our food production systems more sustainable and resilient.

Farmers harvesting wheat from a field during late summer.
Farmers harvesting wheat from a field during late summer.