rural
April 4, 2023
Tim Pittaway (Member of Staff)
Tim is a Social Researcher in Rural Digitalisation within James Hutton Institute, working in the Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences Group (SEGS) department. SEGS represents the fields of economics, geography, politics, sociology,...
February 2, 2023
James Hutton Institute scientist appointed Commissioner on Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (News)
The James Hutton institute’s head of forensic science, principal scientist Professor Lorna Dawson, has been appointed as a commissioner on the UK’s Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC).
The FFCC, which delivered the...
September 9, 2022
Scientists at the James Hutton Institute are researching ways to prepare for and prevent future threats to arable and horticultural production in Scotland. In work funded by the Scottish Government’sRural and Environment Science and...
August 8, 2022
Today marks International Beer Day, a global celebration of beer, taking place in pubs, breweries, and backyards all over the world. Behind great tasting beer is great science, like the barley research taking place at the James Hutton Institute...
April 4, 2022
Scotland's flux tower network improved for better understanding of impact of peatland restoration (News)
The flux tower network in Scotland is to be extended and enhanced to better understand the carbon and climate impact of restoring peatlands. Supported by over £1 million of Scottish Government funding, three additional flux towers to be...
November 11, 2021
New research published today by the James Hutton Institute has found that the shift to virtual meetings and events due to the Covid-19 pandemic improved accessibility to knowledge exchange, networking, and organisations for women working on farms...
October 10, 2021
£1m funding boost for Hutton peatland and habitats restoration project in the River Forth catchment (News)
Over the next four years the James Hutton Institute, NatureScot, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the University of Stirling will work in partnership to restore habitats across the Forth catchment area.
September 9, 2021
An all-female team of scientists from the James Hutton Institute travelled to Shetland to install the most northerly micrometeorological station in the UK to monitor greenhouse gas emissions from eroded peatland.
The station, set up on a site...
September 9, 2021
Agricultural resilience is critical across Europe, but how can individual farms ensure they are ‘future proofed’? This question will be at the centre of an international online event to be held on Tuesday 21st September (8 – 9....
September 9, 2021
Researchers from the James Hutton Institute are seeking views from farmers and farming professionals from across Europe in relation to the support, challenges and opportunities for new entrant farmers.
August 8, 2021
An estimated £1.2 billion of Scotland’s buildings, transport infrastructure, cultural and natural heritage may be at risk of coastal erosion by 2050, according to new research funded by the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW), a...
August 8, 2021
Researchers from the James Hutton Institute are calling on livestock farmers and vets in the UK to help develop a greater understanding of the use of on farm anti-microbials.
It is widely believed that overuse and improper use of anti-...
July 7, 2021
Would you like to climb a mountain in the Cairngorms this summer in the name of science? The James Hutton Institute have partnered with Plantlifeto discover more about the fungi that lie beneath the surface of the 58 Munros of the Cairngorms...
July 7, 2021
New social research conducted by the James Hutton Institute for the Scottish Government’s National Islands Plan paints a mixed picture of life in Scotland’s islands: while most respondents rate their local environment very highly and...
June 6, 2021
The partnership tasked with looking after the River Dee catchment has published a summary of its achievements over the last 15 years and is seeking public comment on priorities for future projects. Established in 2003 with the support of the...
May 5, 2021
Undergraduate student Johanna Maria Würtz, who undertook a 1,150-mile hike alongside her Shetland pony Hechizo to take on a barley science placement at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee, has completed her work in Scotland and plans to...
May 5, 2021
The historical ‘forest gardens’ of Guadeloupe, an overseas region of France, have provided the inspiration for a research group studying the feasibility of small-scale production systems in the area. The region is one of the world...
May 5, 2021
A new research project involving 39 partners from 19 countries and including James Hutton Institute scientists has received €10 million from the European Union. The Horizon 2020 funded project FireEUrisk, launching this month, aims to shift...
May 5, 2021
The partnership tasked with looking after the river Dee catchment in north east Scotland is a finalist in the Inspiring Aberdeenshire Awards. Shortlisted for the Beautiful Aberdeenshire Environmental Award, the Dee Catchment Partnership’s...
April 4, 2021
Researchers from the James Hutton Institute are deploying aerial mapping technology to collect data on the natural restoration of peatland at the Queen’s Balmoral Estate in Scotland. A survey aircraft equipped with advanced laser scanners...
April 4, 2021
Even if it has not yet been detected north of the border, Scottish growers must take adequate steps to monitor growing areas for the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), a new potential threat to the UK’s agricultural,...
March 3, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has required many people to adapt their lifestyles and livelihoods to mitigate the spread and impact of the virus. A new report by SEFARI researchers at the James Hutton Institute and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)...
March 3, 2021
Volunteers are wanted for the first on-the-ground national survey to shed light on the distribution and numbers of Scottish mountain hares. The survey, which is launched today and will carry on throughout 2021, is calling on hillwalkers,...
February 2, 2021
How can we produce a Europe that is spatially and socially just? Is it possible to discuss cohesion and territorial development policy without considering localities and local experiences? The RELOCAL policy conference (15th March) will focus on...
February 2, 2021
What are the lessons we can all learn from land reform in Scotland, and what are the challenges still faced by our rural communities? Dr Annie McKee, a social researcher at the James Hutton Institute, will tackle these and other questions during...
December 12, 2020
Mountain hares in Scotland show increasing camouflage mismatch due to less snowy winters, according to a new study carried out by an international research team including the James Hutton Institute.
Mountain hares are one of multiple species...
December 12, 2020
Mayan Gold and Vales Sovereign potatoes developed in Tayside by the James Hutton Institute and grown on Hutton research farms as part of a long-term trial of sustainable cultivation methods are being donated to food banks across Tayside in time...
November 11, 2020
Scotland boasts a hugely varied coastline and a rich offering of inland waters in both rural and urban settings which host an amazing array of riches, come in all shapes and sizes, and are greatly valued and cherished by communities and visitors...
November 11, 2020
Moorland management in Scotland has come under the spotlight in a series of reports assessing the socio-economic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moors and the employment rights of gamekeepers.
October 10, 2020
Are you the UK's best NEWBIE farmer? The James Hutton Institute, as part of the EU-funded NEWBIE project (New Entrant netWork: Business models for Innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience in European agriculture) is calling for...
September 9, 2020
Social scientists at the James Hutton Institute have developed a novel method to estimate future demographic change in Scotland’s sparsely populated areas, by considering geographical differences in employment structures and regional...
September 9, 2020
From Spain to Scotland to conduct barley science: Johanna and Hechizo’s agricultural pilgrimage (News)
August 8, 2020
Dr Alice Hague, a social scientist based at the James Hutton Institute’s Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences department in Aberdeen, has been awarded a fellowship by the Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN) to study climate...
July 7, 2020
Planting huge numbers of trees to mitigate climate change is “not always the best strategy” – with some experimental sites in Scotland failing to increase carbon stocks, a new study co-authored by Hutton scientists has found....
June 6, 2020
It is the year 2050. How has society reacted and adapted to climate change?
A farming family have recorded three sets of video diaries. Dad (Jack), mum (Beth) and daughter (Sally). Each set of diaries decsribes life in different futures...
April 4, 2020
Researchers at the James Hutton Institute’s Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences group are exploring ways in which the use of interactive maps can help understand communities and small areas well below the national level.
April 4, 2020
Social science at the James Hutton Institute may provide an insight into how rural Scotland can and will likely respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. These research findings bring into focus the importance of community resilience, discuss the impact...
March 3, 2020
The definition of ‘sustainable development’ and ‘community’, as described in the draft Right to Buy Land to Further Sustainable Development (Eligible Land, Specified Types of Area and Restrictions on Transfers,...
November 11, 2019
Understanding and improving the sustainability of agro-ecological farming systems in the EU (Project)
November 11, 2019
The James Hutton Institute, as part of the EU-funded NEWBIE project (New Entrant netWork: Business models for Innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience in European agriculture), is again calling for applications for the 2019 NEWBIE Award, which...
October 10, 2019
A new report commissioned by the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) estimates that the restoration of native oyster beds in Scotland has the potential to give a £3.5m boost to the UK economy and create jobs in some of the most...
September 9, 2019
A new research project involving the James Hutton Institute is aiming to improve the capacity of society and political bodies to respond to the challenges that digitalisation generates in rural areas, agriculture and forestry, and provide a...
September 9, 2019
A joint statement issued by research institutes, community groups and public sector organisations points to credible evidence of ‘green shoots’ of population turnaround in the Scottish islands which as yet does not show up in official...
August 8, 2019
Euan Caldwell, the James Hutton Institute’s Head of Farm, Field and Glasshouses, has been shortlisted in the Arable Innovator of the Year category of the British Farming Awards, organised by AgriBriefing. The winners will be revealed at a...
August 8, 2019
Maize is the most important cereal crop in southern Africa but without new management practices and with the increased risk of drought, yields which are already low are predicted to further decline. It is therefore critical that new approaches...
August 8, 2019
Rewilding in the Scottish uplands could take decades without the intervention of land managers, a new long-term grazing experiment at Glen Finglas has shown. The experiment, the first of its kind in Scotland, was set up in 2002 to explore how...
May 5, 2019
The Scottish islands are often regarded as places where population is in decline, with younger islanders leaving for education and employment and older people moving in to retire. However, recent anecdotal evidence suggests that, on some islands...
April 4, 2019
Lynbreck Croft, a 150-acre mixed habitat croft enterprise located in the Cairngorms National Park, has been declared the winner of the NEWBIE UK award for New Entrant Farm Business of the Year and will be presented with their award at the Royal...
February 2, 2019
The Horned Beef Company, Lynbreck Croft and the Scottish Goat Meat Company have been announced as finalists of the newly-launched NEWBIE UK award for New Entrant Farm Business of the Year, due to their unique ability to overcome barriers in the...
December 12, 2018
UnderStories - Storying woodland use, management and expansion in the Cairngorms National Park (Project)
What is the story with woodlands in the Cairngorms National Park? Or should we say, what are the stories, as there are many threads of stories of actual, former or speculative woodlands weaving in and out that make this area what it...
May 5, 2018
In fields as diverse as community land ownership, social care, social housing provision, cultural services and environmental projects, social innovation is driving place-based rural development. In the context of the SIMRA research project, the...
April 4, 2018
Researchers from the James Hutton Institute and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), both part of the SEFARI collective, will be among the speakers at this week’s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Rural...
April 4, 2018
The James Hutton Institute has partnered with Syngenta and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to develop and test a run-off tool app.
The tool will advise land managers on the best management practices to reduce run-off and trap...
March 3, 2018
New research commissioned by the Scottish Government and conducted by the James Hutton Institute estimates that Scotland’s sparsely populated areas are at risk of losing more than a quarter of their population by 2046 if current demographic...
April 4, 2017
A Hutton-led research project studying social challenges faced by rural areas across Europe and the wider Mediterranean area was presented at the fifth CRISES (Centre de recherche sur les innovations sociales) international conference, held in...
February 2, 2017
Who has commissioned this research and what will it deliver?
February 2, 2017
SALSA will provide a better understanding of the current and potential contribution of small farms and food businesses to sustainable food and nutrition security. Using a food systems perspective the project will look beyond production capacity...
September 9, 2016
More needs to be done to promote sustainable food production if we are to solve the apparent conflict between the interests of nature and those of modern agriculture, according to researchers at the James Hutton Institute. This warning comes in...
August 8, 2016
Green prescribing by doctors and other health professionals could be a valuable way of helping older people reap the benefits of outdoor recreation. The idea is among a number of recommendations contained in a new report commissioned by the...
