Food, glorious (and sustainable) food

The University is working to ensure the planet can produce enough food for its ever-expanding population

Dr Benjamin Ciotti explores the dynamic environment of surf zone ecosystems and the research investigating the role of sandy beaches as habitats for fishes.

What have you eaten so far today?

Maybe you’re reading this while tucking into kaya toast in Kuala Lumpur, or a chapati in Chennai? Perhaps you’ve just set everything up for a barbecue in Boston, Brasilia or Brisbane? There are probably also some of you looking forward to picking up a pasty in ��ù��Ƶ.

Before you answer, we should probably say this isn’t an undercover attempt to pry into your eating habits. But how would you feel about not being able to get your teeth into your favourite foods in the future?

At the time of writing, the global population sits at 8.2 billion people. It’s only projected to rise – and quickly – which will obviously place increasing demands on the planet’s resources. “Providing sufficient food is one of the major challenges of the 21st century,” says Professor Richard Preziosi , Head of the School of Biological and Marine Sciences.

“But coupled with that, we’re living in a time when the demand for sustainable and healthy food has never been higher. It’s critical that the University continues developing the tools needed to support those working across a number of industries.”

But coupled with that, we’re living in a time when the demand for sustainable and healthy food has never been higher. It’s critical that the University continues developing the tools needed to support those working across a number of industries.

The tools Richard is referring to sit as part of a catchily, and aptly, titled research centre of which he is the director.

The Centre of Research excellence in Intelligent and Sustainable Productive Systems (more commonly referred to as CRISPS) was established in August 2024. A £10 million programme of research and studentships, its enticing packaging contains experts in fields including aquaculture and agricultural technology, soil health and sustainable landscapes.

The vision for CRISPS is simple: put the University – its research, its innovations, its future graduates – at the heart of the food revolution which the planet desperately needs.

In Richard’s opinion, our long-held expertise means we’re perfectly placed to do that. But there are also some geographical benefits to be gained from the fact that we sit at the junction of soil and sea, surrounded by prime agricultural and arable land and a stone’s throw from many of the UK’s busiest fishing ports.

“Over 55,000 people are working across 1.25 million hectares of farmland here in the South West of England,” he says. “It means we are playing a critical role in the country’s food production network. It's a big industry and with a vast network collaborating together, the South West offers a sustainable model for food production across the UK.”

A team from the ��ù��Ƶ Agri-robotics Cornwall (ARC) soil sensor project at Tregooden Farm. RTU - robotic traction unit fitted with Medusa sensor.

Agri-Tech with Agri-Robotics Cornwall (ARC) supports agricultural businesses with research, technology and data to develop sustainable farming practices

A robotic tractor unit – part of the soil sensor project

Chloe's PhD project is using 'Milesight' Sensors that utilise LoRaWAN technology to transmit real-time data to devices. PhD is investigating the role of abscisic acid in coordinating the interaction between drought stress response and herbivory in barley

A student's PhD project is using 'Milesight' sensors that utilise LoRaWAN technology to transmit real-time data to devices

CRISPS is by no means the University’s first venture into the world of food.

For almost two decades, we’ve been working with fishing communities in Lyme Bay and along the south coast to monitor species that are regulars in the region’s restaurants. We’ve run initiatives with aquaculture companies to develop and assess new types of feed to be used in fish farms. We’ve driven projects involving regional, national and international agencies looking at ensuring we don’t degrade our soils to the point nothing can grow in them. We’ve led pioneering studies aiming to better understand and preserve animal welfare.

All of that work is continuing. But these days, if you want to keep growing tomatoes or catching trout, you don’t only need tomato growers and trout fishers. It’s why we have experts in robotics and genetic ecology looking at the use of sensors to monitor soil health and farming practices. We have marine biologists and technologists looking at the deployment of cameras and acoustic technologies to assess fish habitats and offshore aquaculture.

Other experts in computer science are working with researchers in animal behaviour on sensors and data generation that will improve welfare and efficiency in livestock production. And our expertise in controlled environment agriculture is developing systems that ensure produce can grow in urban environments, deserts and anywhere else it is required in the future.

“There are huge opportunities in new technologies,”

says Dr Jennifer Rowntree , who leads our recently formed Sustainable Food Production Research Group.

“As an example, it is now possible to use satellite images and innovative agri-tech to monitor plant growth and disease, as well as degradation and water content of soil, and to see changes over time. So better decisions can be made about how best to farm sustainably without further degrading the soil in certain places.”

While much of this research is centred around the south-west of England, it is certainly not all confined here. For more than a decade, we’ve worked with farmers in East Africa to restore damaged agricultural landscapes while underpinning the sustainability of future crop production. Projects in India are looking at whether freshwater crabs could be a sustainable source of food. Work in the Middle East is exploring the potential for it to yield the benefits of controlled environments for producing pharmaceuticals and food.

This only further serves to highlight the fact that sustainable food production is a global issue.

It is something that will affect us all in the future, if it isn’t doing so already.

But hopefully, with the University’s help, in the decades to come your favourite tasty morsel will still be on the menu and not merely a faint and distant memory.

Assessing the effects of Europe’s largest offshore shellfish farm

“Offshore mussel farming has the potential to become one of the world’s most sustainable, large-scale sources of healthy protein,” says Professor Emma Sheehan , Associate Professor of Marine Ecology. “But our studies have also provided evidence that it can deliver benefits for degraded seabed habitats, and that is crucial for the entire seafood industry.”

Emma and her team have been working with Offshore Shellfish Ltd, which runs the site off the Dorset coast, since 2013. In that time, the seabed beneath the farm’s ropes has undergone a transformation as mussels from the lines are deposited on the seabed below. This has seen it change from muddy sediment with limited biodiversity into reefs, which research has shown have the potential to benefit a number of commercial fish and crustacean species and the ecosystem more generally.

Using robotics to measure nature-friendly practices

Working with the Soil Association and a group of farmers across Cornwall, our researchers have pioneered the development and application of sensors that estimate soil organic matter and moisture levels, using natural radioactivity signals that come from all soil minerals. This can provide data to help farmers see how effective their practices have been across a field and help them to plan how to better manage soils and water and improve productivity.

Professor Will Blake , Director of the Sustainable Earth Institute says:

“This trial has meant we can get our science out of the lab and test it in a real-world setting, feeding back into other research programmes we're working on. We're using robotics to deploy soil assessment solutions that the world could take on.”

Ropes teeming with mussel shells in Lyme Bay

Ropes teeming with mussel shells at the UKs largest offshore mussel farm in Lyme Bay

Offshore Shellfish Ltd mussel farm from the surface

A team from the Agri-robotics Cornwall (ARC) soil sensor project at Tregooden Farm

Centre of Research excellence in Intelligent and Sustainable Productive Systems (CRISPS)

CRISPS brings together a vibrant community of transdisciplinary researchers, working towards addressing the challenge of sustainably feeding a global population of 9 billion.

Founded upon research excellence in aquaculture, agricultural technology and soil health, and underpinned by investment in cutting-edge facilities, the Centre will create the critical mass required to ensure impactful research and real-world deployment in the UK and beyond.