News

Tomato seedlings growing at home In the city. They are growing in a tray next to a window which overlooks a city urban area.
17 June 2020

The coronavirus pandemic is a symptom of a broken food system

The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the fragility of our food supplies – but building a more resilient system could provide a path to recovery.
Close-Up Of Woman Preparing Food - stock photo taken in Delhi, India
20 November 2020

Scientists and food historians collaborate to revive and grow extinct varieties of rice

A team of scientists is growing a type of rice from India that had become extinct with the spread of higher-yielding types, as part of a project to revive recipes and flavours that have been lost.
Farmer on tractor harvesting organic potatoes - stock photo
12 November 2020

Engaging farmers and landowners is key to delivering on the UK’s biodiversity targets, say experts

Dr Ruth Little warned a Parliamentary committee that the planned Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme needs to engage farmers and landowners to best maintain the UK's biodiversity.
People working on a city allotment in Sheffield on a sunny day. There is a car park in the background.
2 November 2020

Diary project shows wellbeing benefits of allotment gardening

Volunteer diaries give valuable insight into the thoughts of allotment gardeners and the benefits they take from tending to their plots.
Rice in a pan submerged in water with more water being poured onto it.

New way of cooking rice removes arsenic and retains mineral nutrients, study shows

Cooking rice in a certain way removes over 50 per cent of the naturally occurring arsenic in brown rice, and 74 per cent in white rice, according to new research.

29 October 2020
Close-Up Of Woman Preparing Food - stock photo taken in Delhi, India

Nutrition under natural resource constraints

Transforming India’s domestic food production for nutrition is increasingly constrained by the natural resource base. Professor Bhavani Shankar adds comment to paper in Nature Food.

29 October 2020
Young woman, waters herbs and plants on a urban roof garden

Allotments have been disappearing from cities – here’s why they are ripe for a comeback

Allotments make an important contribution to local food security. Dr Jill Edmondson tells The Conversation why they're still needed.

26 October 2020
A metal rubbish bin overflowing with wasted food. A man is holding the bin lid up.

Reducing food waste could help prevent damage to the environment

Experts from the University of Sheffield contribute to World Bank report which found reducing food waste could improve food security and environmental sustainability.

5 October 2020
An aerial beach shot of a tropical beach with turquoise water in Fiji islands

Making connections from land to sea

Professor Duncan Cameron contributes to the WWF Living Planet Report 2020.

10 September 2020
Indonesian rainforest cleared for oil palm plantation

80 per cent of Indonesian rainforest vulnerable to palm oil destruction is not protected, research shows

More than 80 per cent of the Indonesian rainforest, mangroves and peatlands most vulnerable to being cleared for palm oil production is completely unprotected by the country’s Forest Moratorium, according to new research.

26 August 2020
Cropped shot of young woman receiving a box of fresh organic food delivery at the front door.

Researchers document extensive national efforts to improve access to food during COVID-19 outbreak

The first output from a new UKRI funded project designed to map and monitor responses to concerns about food access during the COVID-19 outbreak is now available.

12 August 2020
Graphic which has typed on it ' the health of food, the environment and the global population is at the heart of everything we do.'

Institute for Sustainable Food experts discuss the food system in light of COVID-19

The empty shelves in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted key flaws in our food supply chains. But simply growing more food is not the solution - listen to three University of Sheffield experts to find out what is.

6 August 2020
Volunteering: food and grocery shopping delivered to doorstep

Experts from the University of Sheffield and King’s College London to monitor real time responses to food vulnerability

A new research project funded by the ESRC will map and monitor responses to food vulnerability during the COVID-19 outbreak

29 June 2020
Photo of a single sheep in a barn with a metal fence behind the sheep. Behind the fence is a large flock of sheep. Stock photo.

Red tape and digital divide threaten success of post-Brexit sustainable farming incentives, research shows

‘Digital divide’, scheme complexity and social isolation make some farmers less likely to contribute to the design and delivery of a ‘public money for public goods’ scheme.

23 June 2020