The University of Leeds farm is to become a pioneering research station to test and accelerate climate-smart agricultural methods.
The site, which is located between Leeds and York, will be one of 10 farms across Europe aiming to reduce their carbon footprint by 55% over the next five years.
They will do this by introducing new measures such as changing the feed given to livestock, managing emissions from manure and slurry, and monitoring the ways in which semi-natural features, such as hedgerows, can prevent harmful greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere.
By studying everything from animal feed and manure management to how our cropping systems and hedgerows can capture carbon, we can identify holistic solutions that are truly effective.
The University will receive £1.1 million of funding from the Horizon Europe programme for the research on the farm and for helping to draw up a framework for the project and collecting and sharing learnings.
Professor Guy Ziv from the School of Geography is leading the research being carried out by the University of Leeds. He said: "Tackling agricultural emissions isn't about a single silver bullet; it's about understanding the farm as a complete, interconnected system.
"By studying everything from animal feed and manure management to how our cropping systems and hedgerows can capture carbon, we can identify holistic solutions that are truly effective.
"Ultimately, this research is about providing farmers here in the UK and across Europe with robust, evidence-based options that are both environmentally and economically viable."
The University of Leeds is one of 33 partners from 26 European countries taking part in the £11 million Climate Smart Research project. It is being Coordinated by Wageningen Research in The Netherlands with an overarching aim to help make European agriculture more climate-resilient and sustainable.
Over the next five years, the project will develop, test, and promote cutting-edge solutions for climate-smart farming to speed up the transition toward climate-neutral agriculture in Europe.
It will aim to tackle the growing pressure faced by the agricultural industry to adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through innovation, collaboration, and practical solutions.
Smart farm
The Climate Smart Research project will build on work already being undertaken by the University of Leeds Research Farm to co-develop high-quality research programmes that address modern agricultural challenges.
The farm, which operates commercially, covers approximately 317 hectares and brings together four farmsteads. It is already home to:
- The University of Leeds Terrestrial Observatory, a £3 million suite of instrumentation and research tools that forms part of the Global Food and Environment Institute.
- The National Pig Centre, opened in 2019 in partnership with the UK Agri-Tech Centre. Supported by more than £11 million investment, the facilities make Yorkshire one of the best places in Europe for pig research.
- It is one of 10 regional centres for the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), a large international centre for plant science, crop evaluation and agronomy.
- EntoExplore, a containerised insect farm, is a cutting-edge prototype used to explore the role of insect farming in sustainable food systems.
- A unique regenerative agriculture research trial, testing and measuring the impact of combinations of regenerative agriculture farming practices on soil health, crop production, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity and farm business profits.
Dr Ruth Wade from the School of Biology is one of the researchers running the regenerative agriculture trials at the University of Leeds farm which is currently funded by FixOurFood and Defra. She added: "The University of Leeds farm is such a fantastic resource to lead research, knowledge exchange and teaching activities in future-proofing farming systems."
"This new project enables us to join our cutting-edge research with other leading farms across Europe - sharing research findings and learning from one another, building a robust evidence-base to support farms into the future."
