Call for Evidence: The UK Government’s work on achieving SDG2: Zero Hunger

Written evidence from Scotland’s Rural College

Submitted by Nicola Holden, Prof. Food Safety, on behalf of the Food Security challenge centre

04/12/2023

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is an educational, research and consultancy organisation, mainly in the topics of agriculture and food production, environment and rural economy. SRUC is a distributed organisation, covering the whole of Scotland. There are several projects related to Food Security. The majority of them are relevant to agri-food production on a local or UK national scale. However, there are some projects that have international remit that are most relevant to the call.

Information is provided on UN SDG2-relevant projects the basis of:

Project Title

Funder

Approach and term

Main category of food systems; climate resilience; or agricultural sustainability.

1.

SRUC reference:

1032155

Project Title:

Bean breeding and Adoption in changing climates in post-conflict COlombia (BACO)

Funder:

Univ. Leeds, UK

Approach and term:

Development of plant breeding requirements for climate-proofed crop (heat, CO2), for use in Columbia. Medium – long term.

Main categories of food systems; climate resilience; or agricultural sustainability:

climate resilience

2.

SRUC reference:

1032535

Project Title:

CTLGH African cattle genomic reference resource, SNP assays, and signature of selections

Funder:

Univ. Edinburgh, UK

Approach and term:

Use of cattle breeding and genomics to optimise traits. Medium – long term.

Main categories of food systems; climate resilience; or agricultural sustainability:

climate resilience

3.

SRUC reference:

1030438

Project Title:

N-CIRCLE: Virtual Joint centre for Closed-Loop Cycling of Nitrogen in Chinese Agriculture

Funder:

BBSRC, UK

Approach and term:

Understanding of nitrogen cycling in agricultural systems, both for crops and for livestock. Medium – long term.

Main categories of food systems; climate resilience; or agricultural sustainability:

agricultural sustainability