RETHINK FOR FOOD PRODUCTION
The way we produce food in the UK is being reappraised in a £6 million research project. Entitled ‘Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People’, work will focus on transforming food production systems from the ground up by improving the sustainability and resilience of horticultural and agricultural practices through enhanced use of hydroponics and hybrid farms on the edge of towns and cities.
New technologies will be featured, such as the use of fungi in hydroponics to improve nutrient take-up while reducing environmental impacts at the same time. The venture is being led by the University of Sheffield’s newly formed Institute for Sustainable Food in partnership with the Universities of Leeds, Bristol, Cambridge and London.