This centre connects agriculture, nutrition, enterprise and the responsible use of renewable biological resources. The bioeconomy includes products and services based on crops, livestock, natural materials and other biological resources.
Resilient Agriculture and Livestock
Priorities include dryland crops, soil health, agroforestry, pastoral livelihoods, animal health and integrated crop–livestock systems. Research will assess choices in relation to climate, water, labour and local knowledge.
Technology and Local Innovation
Appropriate mechanisation, digital extension, local fabrication, sensors and decision tools will be assessed for usefulness, affordability and adoption in real settings.
Real production and harvest work grounds our food-systems research — linking crops, labour, markets and local livelihoods.
We explore value chains, local processing, finance, green enterprise and opportunities for women and young people. Attention to who retains value is central to the approach.
We examine storage, processing, distribution, markets, food environments, nutrition security and loss reduction. The aim is to understand how food systems can improve both livelihoods and access to nutritious food.
The agenda includes renewable natural products, biomaterials, waste reduction and recovery of useful resources. Environmental benefits and livelihood claims need to be assessed rather than assumed.
Proposed living labs would bring producers, researchers, communities and businesses together to develop and test innovations. Potential outputs include value-chain assessments, enterprise diagnostics, trials, investment cases and policy options, with attention to environmental and social outcomes.
Landscape research contributes evidence on ecological conditions; health research contributes nutrition and wellbeing perspectives; and cultural and governance research helps explain adoption, rights and local institutions.