The announcement follows an independent international peer review process.
The money will help to support work including collaborative efforts to develop traits for ‘future wheat’, a study looking at tailoring plant metabolism and a ‘soil to nutrition’ strand, which aims to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of nutrient use in farming.
‘Smart crop protection’ is another key area and scientists hope to adopt a ‘gene to landscape approach’ to deliver more targeted and sustainable control of insect pests, weeds and diseases. In addition, Rothamsted and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology will combine to develop innovative farming systems which increase food production and resilience, while reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture.
Rothamsted says knowledge exchange - getting science on-farm in a timely and effective fashion – will be a key focus. The NFU has had a presence on the Rothamsted’s Research Association board for decades, building links between scientists and farmers with a breadth of on-the-ground, practical knowledge.
Prof Achim Dobermann, Director and Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have the long-term commitment and support by the BBSRC for the delivery of research objectives aiming to offer solutions for agriculture in some of the most challenging issues
“This investment represents a substantive total percentage of our budget requirements. The remaining percentage is raised through competitive grants from other established funding authorities and it is a demonstration of the excellent work carried out by the world-class researchers and support staff I am privileged to work with.”
NFU comment
Chief science and regulatory affairs adviser Helen Ferrier said:
"Rothamsted is an extremely important research centre for the agriculture sector here and globally. Its new strategic programme will see world-leading scientists working on projects with potential for significant impact on the productivity and environmental performance of British farmsers – echoing themes we’ve highlighted in our Feeding the Future, Four Years On report.
“The NFU and our members will continue to liaise closely with Rothamsted scientists as they work on these important new programmes. We have strong national and regional links with Rothamsted Research centres in Hertfordshire and Devon and they frequently host visits from NFU members to promote dialogue between scientists and farmers. We recently joined organisations across the industry at Rothamsted to produce a statement identifying the key areas needed to have a world leading agri-science sector in the UK after Brexit.
“Farmers have a valuable breadth of practical and commercial expertise which scientists can learn from. Being able to understand whole farming systems is an increasingly important part of the kind of science Rothamsted does and our members can, and do, provide valuable insight.
“I would encourage farmers to sign up to the Rothamsted Research Association to receive updates and go to workshops about the ground-breaking and highly relevant work that goes on there.
“We urge Rothamsted to keep the close links with the farming community and the relevance to commercial practice that has always given it such a special place within academia, and to be involved in supporting science-based policy making. Collaboration between research centres, but also with the industry, is the key to delivering strategic and impactful work. This has to be a two-way process, a conversation.
“This investment signals the great importance the BBSRC places on farming's ability to be productive, resilient and sustainable through challenging times ahead. It should demonstrate to science ministers the critical part agriculture and agricultural science plays in the nation's economy, environment and society."