Course summary

Our research master's provides specialist skills and knowledge related to the sustainability of agricultural production and food security. Our research master's in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security is suitable if: you have a strong interest in a specific related topic you're confident that you want to pursue a career in research Sustainable agriculture and food security focuses on the availability of food now and in the future. This is a major concern of scientific and commercial communities world-wide. The prominence of this subject is driven by: an increasing need for resilient, regenerative agricultural systems pressure on non-renewable or scarce resources need to minimise the impact agriculture has on the environment The Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security master's covers all aspects of food security as outlined by Global Food Security. The Global Food Security is a multi-agency programme involving the main UK public sector funders of research and training related to food. Industry experienced and research-active lecturers teach on this course. On the MRes, the majority of your credits will be gained from the dissertation module, which is self-directed research. Your studies are supported by a smaller number of taught modules compared to the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security MSc. This course is most suitable if you have a strong interest in a particular topic and are confident that you want to pursue a career in research. If you want to gain a broad knowledge of sustainable agriculture and food security or are not sure if you want to specialise in a specific topic, then you may find our Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security MSc more suitable. Facilities NU Farms Our multi-purpose farms are viable farming businesses. We use them as demonstration facilities for teaching purposes. They also provide land-based research facilities. Our facilities provide an open innovation platform enabling researchers to work with farmers, industry, and environmental and government stakeholders. Together, they develop innovative solutions for balancing sustainable global food production with a thriving rural economy and protection of the wider environment. These research facilities help us to understand: the development and functioning of plant and animal hosts, pathogens and their interactions the complex biogeochemical functions of the soil crop and livestock health, welfare and productivity environmental impact interactions between the managed farm environment and the land-air-water interface We use this fundamental knowledge to: integrate genomics, physiology and agronomy in molecular breeding approaches develop and optimise farming systems We collect real data from a network of on-farm crop, soil, livestock and environmental sensors. We use this data to calibrate and validate the digital technologies and models that help us in our research and developments.