Urban Agriculture Cluster

Urban agriculture has the potential to play an increasingly important role in food security and sustainability. It offers alternative practices, business models and social models for food production, supply and consumption.

The N8 AgriFood Urban Agriculture Cluster aims to reflect the changing landscape of agricultural practices and policies in the UK.

As we tackle the challenges posed by climate change, the cluster looks to develop, share and integrate knowledge across the North of England.

We aim to deepen our collaborations and play a critical role in bringing together key stakeholders from the urban and controlled environment agriculture sectors. We’re providing a valuable link between academic researchers and UK businesses, which is putting us in a position to swiftly apply for funding when it becomes available.

Focusing on research through partnership working

The cluster aims to explore interdisciplinary and translational challenge-based research across four key innovation themes:

Emerging technology and innovation
Current farming practices including demand and delivery
Society and health
Agricultural technology business and economics

We’re building partnerships across a diverse range of subject areas including:

Advanced sensing
Photobiology
Crop genetics
System component and substrate design
Life cycle analysis
Integration of local and regional food chains
Consumer perception
Nutrition and health
Government policy

Cluster activities will involve regular newsletters, as well as trips to related organisations and businesses. If you’d like to find out more about this cluster and/or sign up to our Urban Agriculture email newsletter, please contact Caroline Wilcock: caroline.wilcock@n8agrifood.ac.uk

Research, projects and webinars

Ubiquitous and synchronous 'Roots and Shoots' imaging for phenotyping and controlled environment agriculture webinar

This webinar was organised as part of the BBSRC Phenom-UK initiative. N8 AgriFood academics, Prof Bruce Grieve from the University of Manchester, and Dr Stephen Rolfe from the University of Sheffield, both gave talks. It was held on Tuesday 24 November 2020.

Resource Use Efficiency in Urban Agriculture webinar

This webinar was organised by N8 AgriFood and Lancaster Environment Centre at the University of Lancaster. It was held in June 2020 and hosted by Professor Ian Dodd from Lancaster Environment Centre.

Rurban Revolution

Rurban Revolution: Bringing the rural into the urban- increasing green ‘natural’ spaces and agricultural food production in the built environment. This 2 year GCRF funded project, brings together expertise in ecosystems, psychology, plant sciences and supply chains from Lancaster University, Cranfield University and the University of Liverpool.

Digital learning environments for urban growing and their effects on attitudes towards farming and food

This project is a collaboration between FarmUrban and the Universities of Sheffield, Leeds and Liverpool, and focuses on education around food production and hydroponics within Liverpool Primary Schools.

Grobotic Systems

Sheffield based Grobotic Systems was founded in 2018 by plant geneticist Dr Alexis Moschopoulos and electronics engineer Richard Banks, with the aim of developing their innovative plant growth chamber to empower plant science research around the world.

Protected Environment ‘Root-to-Shoot’ Sensing & Control

Through working in partnership, the University of Sheffield, the University of Manchester and the sensors company, have been awarded funding from the BBSRC Phenom-UK network to implement Active Multispectral Imaging (A-MSI).