Transforming the resilience of UK grazing livestock systems presents an integrated set of system-level interventions for transformational change in UK grazing livestock systems to improve their resilience to environmental, social and economic shocks and stresses.
As the most extensive habitat in the UK, grasslands cover approximately 40% of the land area. They are major contributors to the delivery of ecosystem services, important for food production and, as grazing systems, are linked to the survival of rural communities.
Using case studies from three of the Projects in the GFS FSR Programme, the Brief outlines three major approaches for levering change while recognising multiple perspectives.
Dr Lisa Norton, PI of the SEEGSLIP Project, co-authored the report with Dr Ann Bruce, PI of the ResULTS Project. Dr Norton, an agro-ecologist at The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said: “This brief highlights the need for addressing food resilience challenges through multiple complementary interventions that consider what people know and their connections with food alongside food system policies.
“We hope that Transforming the resilience of UK grazing livestock systems will provide some valuable recommendations for those seeking routes to transformational change in agriculture including policy makers and research directors.”
Transforming the resilience of UK grazing livestock systems is the first in a series of Policy and Practice Briefs from the GFS-FSR Programme. Dr John Ingram, Coordination Team Lead, said: “Each Brief is the result of cross-project and stakeholder working, and exemplifies the collaborative and inclusive approach of the Programme.
“Further Briefs will look at a range of issues that affect food system resilience: soy supply chains, small and medium-size enterprises, and the role of consumers. We hope that the insights in this series will be of interest – not only for policymakers, but also for a wide range of actors across the food system.”
