University farm to become hub for climate-smart research

The University of Leeds farm is to become a pioneering hub for climate-smart agricultural research, supporting a major European initiative to reduce farming emissions and improve sustainability.

The site will be one of 10 farms across Europe aiming to reduce their carbon footprint by 55% over the next five years. Researchers from across the University, including those in the Faculty of Biological Sciences, will contribute to developing and testing innovative approaches that help future-proof farming systems.

They will do this by 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 gasses from entering the atmosphere.

The University will receive £1.1 million of funding from the Horizon Europe programme for the research on the farm and for helping to draw up a framework for the project and collecting and sharing learnings.

Providing evidence-based options

Professor Guy Ziv from the Faculty of Environment’s School of Geography is leading the research. 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 within the Faculty of Biological Sciences leads regenerative agriculture trials at the farm, currently funded by FixOurFood and Defra. Ruth 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 University of Leeds is one of 33 partners from 26 European countries taking part in the £11 million Climate Smart Research project. It is coordinated by Wageningen Research in The Netherlands, with an overarching aim to help make European agriculture more climate-resilient and sustainable.

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.

A pig with piglets in a shed on the University of Leeds Farm

Smart farm

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. It also contributes the Faculty’s wider commitment to sustainable agriculture research, where we are are working across biology, ecology, and plant sciences to tackle global food challenges.

The farm, which operates commercially, covers approximately 317 hectares and brings together four farmsteads. It is already home to:

The University of Leeds Terrestrial Observatory, a £3 million suite of instrumentation and research tools that forms part of the Global Food and Environment Institute.
The National Pig Centre, a state-of-the-art facility opened in 2019 in partnership with the UK Agri-Tech Centre.
One of 10 regional centres for the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), a large international centre for plant science, crop evaluation and agronomy.
EntoExplore, a containerised insect farm exploring the role of insect farming in sustainable food systems.
A unique regenerative agriculture research trial, testing combinations of farming practices to assess impact on soil health, crop production, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity and farm business profits.