Access an expert
Expert consultancy delivering practical solutions for sustainability and climate challenges
The James Hutton Institute Scientific Services provides tailored consultancy across multiple sectors, drawing on expertise in sustainable practices, environmental management and applied scientific research.
We combine cutting-edge science with practical, on-the-ground solutions to help businesses, governments and organisations make informed decisions on sustainability, agriculture and climate resilience.
Access an expert – Consulting services
Whether you’re aiming to strengthen your competitive position, tap into new market opportunities, or create innovative products and processes to achieve your sustainability objectives, we will align with your needs.
We offer a broad range of consultancy services, some specifics are mentioned below.
However, if you’re unsure which option would best suit your needs, please reach out. We’re happy to help you find the right consultant to support your business goals.
Sustainable Agriculture and Innovation:
Agroecosystem Management: Offering advice on sustainable land management practices, soil health, crop variety, plant breeding, crop storage, and climate-resilient farming.
Precision Agriculture: Consultation on precision farming technologies including data-driven solutions and next generation networks for irrigation, fertilization, pest control and telemetrics.
Innovation in on Farm Technologies: Helping organizations adopt and develop new farming technologies, including robotics, automation, drones, and artificial intelligence.
Water Management, Conservation and Soil Health:
Water Resource Management: Consultation on sustainable water use, especially in agriculture and forestry, to reduce waste and improve efficiency.
Catchment Management: Planning and designing nature-based solutions for mitigating floods, droughts (water scarcity issues), and water quality issues in catchments. Offering advice, designing, and maintaining scientific field-based monitoring networks. Hydrological modelling expertise.
Soil Quality Monitoring and Improvement: Helping farmers, landowners, and industries monitor and improve soil health, reduce soil erosion, and increase fertility.
Food System Transformation & High-Tech Agriculture:
Controlled Environment Agriculture & Agri-Tech: Supporting businesses in the food supply chain through Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), vertical farming, and greenhouse technologies, enhancing sustainability, traceability, and climate resilience.
Alternative Proteins & Crop Innovation: Advancing crop breeding, gene editing, and phenotyping to develop high-performance crops tailored for alternative protein production and future food applications.
AI & Data Science for Agri-Food: Driving AI and data-driven solutions for crop optimisation, precision agriculture, and food system modelling, ensuring businesses can leverage predictive analytics and automation.
Cannabis Science & Innovation: Applying advanced plant science, breeding, and phenotyping to enhance cannabis cultivation in controlled environments, supporting medicinal and industrial applications.
Barley Development:
Genomics and Biotechnology: Providing expertise in barley genomics to assist in breeding programs for improved varieties. Consulting on the application of biotechnology to enhance barley traits, such as disease resistance and yield.
Data Science and Analysis: Offering data analysis services to help industry stakeholders interpret research data. We have experience in handling large and complex datasets ranging from climate modelling through to bioinformatics and imaging.
Innovation, Agri-Tech and Clima-Tech venture support:
Sector Knowledge and Experience: world-class understanding of scientific research, innovation, and technological development of the agritech and climatech sector allowing insights into market needs and opportunities.
Due Diligence Support: provide expertise for the evaluation of opportunities, the market, the technology and regulatory compliance to help identify red flags and enable informed investment and/or partnering decisions.
Renewable Energy and Bioenergy:
Bioenergy Solutions: Providing support on the development and testing of novel bioenergy systems, such as biofuels or biomass, for sustainable energy production.
Renewable Energy: Providing advice on assessing and improving the environmental impact of renewable energies and support with stakeholder consultation and engagement for successful community integration.
Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Land Use:
Climate Change Impact Modelling: Supporting land managers, businesses and supply chains to understand the potential operational impacts of climate change. Helping identify climate-related risks and opportunities. Development of practical mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Carbon Footprint and Sequestration: Helping farms and other organisations measure and monitor their carbon footprint. Provide expertise on appropriate land management approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through processes including soil carbon management, afforestation and reforestation projects.
Land Use planning and management: provide insights into sustainable land management strategies for biodiversity, the management of natural resources and food production.
Policy and Regulatory Guidance:
Environmental Policy Analysis: Providing insights into environmental regulations, policy frameworks, and how they affect agriculture, land management, and natural resource usage.
Environmental Regulation Compliance: Providing guidance to businesses in the agricultural and energy sectors on the evolving environmental regulations and sustainability standards.
Agri-Policy Development: Providing consultancy services to governmental bodies in shaping agricultural and environmental policies related to land use, environmental stewardship, and climate change mitigation.
Environmental Research and Data Services:
Scientific Data Analysis: Offering consultancy on research methodology, data collection, and analysis in environmental sciences, agriculture, and climate change.
Environmental Modelling: Providing support in creating models to predict environmental changes, land use impact, and water resource availability.
Big Data Analytics and Processing: Provides support to agricultural businesses in leveraging big data for improving operational efficiency. This includes analysing satellite data, climate data, and field sensors to inform decision-making and resource allocation.
Cereal Production:
Crop Improvement and Breeding: Advising on developing barley varieties that are more resilient to climate change. Offering guidance on improving cereal quality for specific end-uses, such as malting and brewing.
Agronomy and Sustainable Production: Providing expertise on sustainable arable farming practices. Consulting on optimizing crop management to improve yield and reduce environmental impact.
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services:
Biodiversity and Natural Capital Conservation: Providing expertise in managing and improving natural habitats in agricultural and other landscapes to enhance natural capital. Identification of risks and threats posed by factors including climate change. Assistance with adaptation strategies and practical tools such as nature-based solutions to manage issues including water scarcity or flood.
Business Resilience and Sustainability: Supporting operational resilience and environmental sustainability in organisations by identifying their impacts and dependencies on nature. Providing support to navigate the developing policy landscape, build organisational awareness and understanding of obligations for nature-based reporting and identifying opportunities and risks.
