RERAD research is divided into the following four programme areas.
Programme 1: Profitable and Sustainable Agriculture - Plants
Programme 1 aims to deliver outputs such as knowledge and technology which help develop successful Scottish crop production in a changing environment. Future research will exploit novelty in genetics resources (plant and pathogen) and will develop an improved understanding of how plants and pathogens react with their environment.
Programme 2: Profitable and Sustainable Agriculture - Animals
Programme 2 will help Scottish livestock enterprises deliver high quality primary food products derived from animals that optimise benefits for human health and are produced in systems that promote the health and welfare of animals and enhance the environment.
Programme 3: Environment - Land Use and Rural Stewardship
Programme 3 will help develop an appropriate balance between various land uses such as agriculture, environmental services, recreation and the preservation and enhancement of natural heritage. The Programme will study the impact that different types of rural land uses have on natural heritage and the environment. The Programme also aims to improve our knowledge on hazard identification and the threat that various risks represent for the Scottish rural environment.
Programme 4: Impacts on Human Health
Programme 4 will contribute to the delivery of information on how the food we eat and the way it is produced and consumed affects human health. Outputs should provide a robust basis for dietary and nutritional advice, and provide underpinning scientific evidence and sources of innovation for the health improving properties of our food. It will also consider the environmental health impacts of existing food production systems and changes in them.
