£1.1 m funding has been allocated by the Horizon Europe programme for the new research at the University's own 'smart farm', which is located between Leeds and York. It is one of 10 farms across Europe aiming to reduce their carbon footprint by 55% over the next five years.
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 university of Leeds is one of 33 partners from 26 European countries taking part in the £11 million project.
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.
This will include 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 gases from entering the atmosphere.
The University of Leeds farm, which is a working commercial farm, covers approximately 317 hectares and brings together four farmsteads. It is already home to The University of Leeds Terrestrial Observatory, a £3m suite of instrumentation and research tools that forms part of the Global Food and Environment Institute.
It also has The National Pig Centre, which was 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's also one of 10 regional centres for the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), a large international centre for plant science, crop evaluation and agronomy. And insects are also being studied. EntoExplore, a containerised insect farm, is a cutting-edge prototype used to explore the role of insect farming in sustainable food systems.
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."
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 said: "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."
The Climate Smart project is being coordinated by Wageningen Research in The Netherlands with an overarching aim to help make European agriculture more climate-resilient and sustainable.