University farms

The N8 AgriFood programme brings together world leading crop and livestock expertise with the translational capabilities of seven university farms to create a single research initiative focused on improving the sustainability of food production.

Collectively, our research focuses on the challenges involved in securing sufficient, safe and nutritious food in the face of climate change and increasingly unpredictable water supplies on both a national and global scale.

To achieve this, we take a food systems approach, bringing together industry and academics from a range of disciplines to combine practical and business experience with scientific knowledge to work jointly towards solutions.

We use the insights generated to increase the resilience and economic competitiveness of agriculture.

University farms in Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle

We undertake a wide range of research on our university farms focusing on both the arable and livestock agricultural sectors.

Through the N8 universities, we are able to access knowledge and share facilities across sites, which in turn increases the reach and impact of field-based research. The N8 research farms are located across three of our universities – the University of Leeds, the University of Liverpool and Newcastle University.

Ecological and agronomic studies of crop pests and beneficial insects
Intercropping approaches
Soil health
Farm scale research
Demonstration of new technology and farm techniques
Long-term split-farm comparisons of organic and conventional cereal rotations
Effects of different management practices on crop yield, health and quality factors
Pig nutrition and wellbeing
Lameness diagnosis and treatment in cattle
Control of liver fluke in sheep
Sustainable use of antimicrobials
Economics of animal health, livestock production and livestock food systems