Agriculture and Food Security

Overview

Improving the effectiveness and sustainability of agri-food systems is vital to tackling the challenges of global population growth, rapid urbanisation, food and environmental security, and diet and health.

These challenges occur in low and middle income countries, as well as industrialised nations. Achieving sustainable, healthy diets underpins many of the Sustainable Development Goals – especially those concerned with hunger, poverty, health, gender equality, responsible consumption and production, and climate action.

In the Agriculture and Food Security programme from The University of Edinburgh, we welcome applicants whose research interests are aligned to address one or more of these challenges, and that holds the potential to develop and translate scientific advances into policy and practice.

The University of Edinburgh, with Scotland’s Rural College, ranked first in the UK for Research Power in Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science in the last Research Excellence Framework, REF2014 (Times Higher Education, Overall Ranking of Institutions). The Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security builds on this strength in research excellence, and graduate student research has a central role in achieving this.

Career opportunities

A wide range of career paths will be available to our graduates depending on area of research study, these include: researchers in academia or industry; policy advisors for government departments, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), charities or industry bodies; technical advisors; consultants; teachers; marketing; managers; economists.