A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) and the James Hutton Institute to promote cooperation in research on plant crop and soil science, agriculture, ecology, food science, geography and socioeconomic sciences.

The MoU was signed by Professor Colin Campbell, Chief Executive of the James Hutton Institute, and Mr Joris Relaes, ILVO General Manager, during a visit of an ILVO delegation to the Institute's Dundee site.

A report published by the Expert Advisory Group on Migration and Population says that immigration schemes can be an ‘immediate and direct’ way to tackle depopulation in Scotland and warns of a fall in Scotland’s working-age population if immigration drops substantially alongside declining fertility.

Professor Bob Ferrier, Director of Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Waters and honorary chair at the University of Dundee's Social Sciences School, and Professor Marian Scott, Professor of Environmental Statistics at the University of Glasgow and a member of the James Hutton Institute’s Board of Directors, are among six leading scientists who are set to join the Scottish Science Advisory Council (SSAC), the expert panel that supports the Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland in her work with Scottish Ministers.

Joining the SSAC from 1 December 2019 are:

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 economically marginal areas of the Western and Northern Highlands and Islands, bringing not only economic but social value to areas depopulated by migration and struggling with an ageing demographic.

The James Hutton Institute was delighted to welcome Her Excellency Ms Linda Scott, High Commissioner of Namibia to the UK. The visit to the Hutton Dundee site, set up through James Hutton Limited’s membership of the Scottish Africa Business Association (SABA), was an opportunity for HE Linda Scott to gain insight into the work both James Hutton Limited and the James Hutton Institute carry out in Africa.

An innovative research project aims to demonstrate the benefits of using crop species mixtures as a sustainable crop production system. The Sustainability in Education and Agriculture using Mixtures (SEAMS) initiative is providing a platform for knowledge exchange on food production, agricultural ecology and environmental sustainability in Scotland.

Given the urgency of the climate crisis, it is past time to start driving large-scale change and the James Hutton Institute is well-placed to focus on the implementation of land management options that we know are beneficial for soil organic matter and a range of soil functions. That was one of the key messages of Dr Matt Aitkenhead, Hutton soils modeller, at the 7^th International Symposium on Soil Organic Matter (6th-10th October 2019) in Adelaide, Australia.

The next generation of UK bioscientists has received a £170 million boost from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, a part of UK Research and Innovation). The investment will fund 1,700 PhD researchers over five annual cohorts at academic institutions all over the country under the third phase of BBSRC’s Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTP), with the overarching aim of developing the world-class, highly skilled workforce the UK needs for its future.

Scotland is leading the way when it comes to meeting challenges such as net-zero carbon and land reform, a new report finds. Scotland Field Guide For The Future is a report from the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) Scotland, with the James Hutton Institute, and is funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

A new partnership between the James Hutton Institute and SRUC will put practical skills into the hands of future farmers. Students studying agriculture at national certificate and degree level at SRUC’s Aberdeen campus will now complete practical classes at the Institute's Glensaugh Research Farm in Aberdeenshire.