Agriculture is a major cause of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, pollution and biodiversity loss globally and in the UK. Achieving sustainable ('green') growth of agricultural production to feed 10 billion people by 2050 whilst reducing environmental impacts is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Changing our diets and reducing food waste are part of the solution. However, as recognised in the UK government's Clean Growth Grand Challenge, significant green growth in the agri-food sector is also necessary to meet this demand without compromising other targets, in particular that of neutrality in carbon emissions by 2050. The GREEN AG programme will build a long-term, strategic research and innovation infrastructure to develop new UK farming systems which will produce sufficient food whilst reducing emissions and pollution, protecting biodiversity, and enhancing soil health. We call this 'net zero+' as it will balance net zero emissions aims with wider environmental concerns. These solutions will be required at scale if the UK is to meet emission reduction targets, and avoid the unintended consequences of emissions being offshored by increased food imports, or causing damage to valuable ecosystems in the UK. GREEN AG will engage and unite the science community with industry, policy, farmer and NGO stakeholders. We will identify farm management practices with potential to reduce emissions and/or capture carbon without major impacts on food production or other environmental outcomes. We will undertake detailed, integrated measurements of these practices on both experiments and on a network of instrumented study farms (Living Farm Labs). We will use models to define pathways to achieving net zero+ arable and livestock farm systems that minimise trade-offs with production and the environment. Finally, we will use cutting edge data science to provide data, models and tools to enable the transition to net zero+ agriculture. Achieving the ambition of clean, green and net-zero agriculture will require strategic, cross-disciplinary and long-term research - a so-called national capability. This will bring together directed teams from NERC and BBSRC centres - UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Rothamsted Research, National Centre for Earth Observation, British Geological Survey and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. This partnership will bring together complementary expertise in ground and earth observation, sensor networks, measurement of GHG emissions from soils, groundwater and estuaries, pollution, biodiversity, crop and livestock production, data science and modelling from field to national scales, covering terrestrial, freshwater and coastal zones. Our environmental research will complement work on other aspects of the farming system that might support net zero+, including crop breeding, animal husbandry and diet, soil science, and crop nutrition and protection. The GREEN AG national capability will provide the following outcomes for the UK science community and other stakeholders: - New knowledge underpinning effective agri-environmental policies to achieve net zero emissions by 2050; - New funding opportunities levered from the GREEN AG research and innovation infrastructure which comprise a national digital farmland observatory, instrumented study farms, experiments, data and models; - More effective implementation of net zero+ polices and practice through stakeholder engagement and co-design, and through the provision of new decision support tools; - Opportunities for UK researchers and agri-businesses to export this green growth knowledge, technology and innovations to overseas markets.

Although agroforestry (integrating trees or shrubs on pasture or crop farmland) has great potential to provide ecosystem services and address multiple climate change challenges, it is not widely practiced in the UK. Strategic planning and successful implementation require more knowledge on achieving optimal environmental benefits, balanced with information of the associated socio-economic, cultural and policy incentives, barriers, and challenges to increasing agroforestry. Bringing together a strong multidisciplinary team of social and environmental scientists with partners who are practitioners and stakeholders in woodland and agricultural organisations, the FARM TREE project addresses these needs by exploring which planting scenarios might work best under different combinations of environmental and socio-economic conditions. Hereby, we will evaluate planting strategies (e.g., regional or landscape priority areas or species), as well as farm level planting designs (species and spatial organisation of planting) within the context of different strategies. Providing knowledge on which planting scenarios realistically work best where, combined with tools and pathways on how to achieve this will: (1) improve farmer decision making, (2) aid the development of better targeted and more flexible policies and grant schemes, and (3) ultimately lower barriers for tree expansion on farmland. We take a holistic approach to benefits and inherent trade-offs and consider that tree planting decisions are subject to diverse factors, from the personal to the policy level; but also focus in on carbon sequestration and water use solutions, alongside wider environmental benefits. We will provide an interactive web-based decision support tool to guide tree expansion on farmland; and identify how public policies (regulations, grant schemes) and market-based measures interact to incentivise (or deter) planting. The research will be articulated around three integrated work packages (WP). In WP1, we will collate socio-economic incentives and barriers from the land manager perspective, building on existing UK initiatives and farmer networks of project partners in agroforestry. Using participatory research methods, WP1 will identify farm level opportunities and constraints to integrate trees using designs that fit well into farming systems. At the national level, we will focus on insights relating to strategic policies that create opportunities for agroforestry expansion. WP2 will investigate the spatial and temporal effects of agroforestry strategies and designs on water and carbon cycling at the national/landscape and farm scale, while also considering soil health and biodiversity. For diverse landscape and farm settings, it will identify planting scenarios that deliver optimal ecosystem services, now and under future scenarios. This will be achieved via integrated ecohydrological and carbon modelling and build on previous woodland landscape capability mapping for ecosystem services and data from demonstrator farms. Integrating outcomes from WP1 and WP3, it will also deliver a set of scenarios that consider socio-economic constraints alongside the environmental benefits. WP1 and WP2 are fully integrated via WP3, which involves the iterative development of viable tree planting scenarios on farms that consider socio-economic and environmental aspects within UK landscapes. Co- developed with project partners and stakeholders, decision support tools (interactive website for farmers; policy briefings; and recommendations for long term farmer-led innovation monitoring labs) form key outputs.

"Sustainable food production" - the process by which we feed the ever-growing world population - is at the top of every agenda. To deliver sustainable food production, it is essential that livestock live in excellent conditions and are healthy throughout their lives. Gastrointestinal parasitism is a direct challenge to this due to negative consequences on animal health and welfare and on the environment. In addition, parasitic disease directly results in a 30% increase in greenhouse gas emissions, which exacerbates climate change and so also threatens food production. Drugs are often used to treat parasitic disease, but resistance to the drugs that kill these types of parasites is now widespread throughout the world, with a prevalence of nearly 100% in many countries. This leads to worldwide costs for food soaring by billions of pounds. In other words, the continuous use of drugs in livestock over the last 60 years has been positive in that it has increased livestock productivity and profitability, but the positive effects of the current generation of drugs (known as anthelmintics) is under threat due to global challenges, including antimicrobial resistance, climate change and maintenance of biodiversity. This project therefore directly addresses the impact that parasitism has on sustainable food production. It does this by using a low-value by-product for the UK's forestry industry and by incorporating this by-product into a next generation natural dietary supplement for livestock. Natural compounds extracted from plants (often called plant secondary metabolites (PSM)), are known to disrupt the life cycle of parasitic nematodes both in the animal and in the environment. PSM can therefore act as anthelmintics, controlling the disease these parasites cause. However, using a single pure PSM is expensive. Attention has therefore turned to PSM-rich extracts that contain a complex mixture of PSM as this is cheaper. However, this approach is hampered by large variations in the PSM content. Variability in PSM-content across different extracts leads to irreproducible biological activity. Whilst studies have demonstrated the anthelminitic effects of individual PSMs and/or plant extracts, the use of PSM-rich extracts is still understudied. There are insufficient reports on the effect on biological activity of combinations of PSMs or the contributions of individual PSM. Repeatable production of extracts (and thus consistent biological activity) requires a more detailed understanding of both the chemistry contained within PSM-extracts and the biological interactions of the active compounds in PSM-extracts with the parasites. Tree bark is particularly rich in antiparasitic PSM and it is very likely that the UK forestry industry creates enough bark waste to treat the UK livestock population, so long as the PSM-extract is administered at key times of parasite susceptibility. This project therefore brings together the forestry, livestock and bioprocessing industries with academic experts in parasitology, chemical biology, analytical and statistical analysis to understand the full extent of the interaction of the parasites with the tree bark extracts. In doing so, it will identify, and isolate compounds present in the bark extracts that demonstrate anthelmintic activity. This will enable the creation of an "Activity Index" - a tool to predict the anthelmintic activity of any future bark extract. This Activity Index will subsequently guide the characterisation of future large scale bark extracts, predicting their anthelmintic potential and optimise their inclusion in parasite control strategies. To achieve this, we will identify and test compounds for their presence in bark extracts and their anthelmintic activity. We will select potentially bioactive compounds on literature reports, preliminary evidence already available to us from previous work and novel work described in this proposal.

Observed, Strategic, sustained action is now needed to avoid further negative consequences of climate change and to build a greener, cleaner and fairer future. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change the rise in global temperature is largely driven by total carbon dioxide emissions over time. In order to avoid further global warming, international Governments agreed to work towards a balance between emissions and greenhouse gas removal (GGR), known 'net zero', in the Paris Agreement. In June 2019 the UK committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, making it the first G7 country to legislate such a target. Transitioning to net zero means that we will have to remove as many emissions as we produce. Much of the focus of climate action to date has been on reducing emissions, for example through renewable power and electric vehicles. However, pathways to net zero require not just cutting fossil fuel emissions but also turning the land into a net carbon sink and scaling up new technologies to remove and store greenhouse gases. This will require new legislation to pave the way for investment in new infrastructure and businesses expected to be worth billions of pounds a year within 30 years. This challenge has far-reaching implications for technology, business models, social practices and policy. GGR has been much less studied, developed and incentivised than actions to cut emissions. The proposed CO2RE Hub brings together leading UK academics with a wide range of expertise to co-ordinate a suite of GGR demonstration projects to accelerate progress in this area. In particular the Hub will study how we can (1) reduce technology costs so that GGR becomes economically viable; (2) ensure industry adopts the concept of net zero in a way that will maintain and create jobs; (3) put in place sensible policy incentives; (4) make sure there is social license for GGR (unlike fracking or nuclear); (5) set up regulatory oversight of environmental sustainability and risks of GGR; (6) understand what is required to achieve GGR at large scale and (7) guarantee there are the skills and knowledge required for all this to happen. Building on extensive existing links to stakeholders in business, Government and NGOs, the Hub will work extensively with everyone involved in regulating and delivering GGR to ensure our research provides solutions to strategic priorities. We will also encourage the teams working on demonstrator technologies to think responsibly about the risks, benefits and public perceptions of their work and consider the full environmental, social and economic implications of implementation from the outset. CO2RE will seek to bring the GGR community in the UK as a whole closer together, functioning as a gateway to UK inter-disciplinary research expertise on GGR. We will inform, and stay informed, about the latest developments nationally and internationally, and reach out to engage the wider public. In doing so we will be able to respond to a rapidly evolving landscape recognising that technical and social change are not separate, but happen together. To accelerate and achieve meaningful change, we will be guided by consultation with key decision-makers and the general public, and set up a £1m flexible fund to respond to priorities that emerge with the help of the wider UK academic community. Ultimately we will help the UK and the world understand how GGR can be scaled up responsibly as part of climate action to meet the ambition of net zero.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted on the UK's food systems, and disruptions are likely to continue. There is emerging evidence that the local food sector (local food producers and their supply chains) can significantly contribute to the resilience of the UK's food system at this time. However, robust data is needed to better understand the impact this sector can make on food security during and after the pandemic, and to help maximise its contribution. By working closely with key businesses and organisations in the local food sector, this 5-stage project will use surveys, interviews, citizen science, and backcasting to provide timely evidence on 1. the sectors' robustness, capturing the impact of and response to the pandemic (deliverable 1); 2. its adaptability, gathering information on adaptation by local producers, short chains and intermediate actors (deliverables 2 & 3); 3. its route to transformation in the post-pandemic context, assessing longer-term changes at supply chain and policy levels (deliverables 4 & 5). The project will collect and feed back robust data, and by providing structured space for sector-wide collaboration and long-term planning. It will enable the business and policy actors on local and national levels to maximise the local food system's contribution to UK's food security, and to ensure its sustainability and resilience. This project has significant buy-in from key businesses and organisations in this sector, as well as policymakers, as evidenced by letters of support. It is, therefore, highly likely to ensure high participation rates and deliver significant impact.