Policy engagement at GFEI
Working with policy professionals is central to the Global Food and Environment Institute’s vision of creating a more equitable and environmentally sustainable global food system.
Our multidisciplinary membership represents a wide range of research and experience that help develop a research-informed approach to regional, national and global policy.
We also work with Policy Leeds to facilitate meetings between policymakers and researchers. To speak with one of our food systems experts, email Policy Leeds via policyleeds@leeds.ac.uk.
The following examples detail how our members have worked with policymakers, alongside research that can be directly applied to the development of food systems policy.
Please note, some content is published on external websites and may not be fully accessible.
Agriculture and environment
- Regenerative Agriculture in Practice: Early Evidence and Policy Implications from the University of Leeds Long-Term Regenerative Agriculture Trial (PDF, 4.1MB) (August 2026).
Ruth N Wade and Pippa J Chapman produced a summarise findings from the first three years of the University of Leeds’ Regenerative Agriculture Trial. The trial is a replicated field experiment comparing conventional and regenerative farming systems under the same soil and weather conditions. Early evidence from the trial shows that regenerative agriculture practices can begin improving soil structure within three years but there are practical and financial challenges with implementing regenerative agriculture practices that need to be considered. - Regenerative Agriculture and Climate Change: What does the UK evidence tell us? (PDF, 2.6MB) (August 2026).
Isobel Tomlinson, Ruth N Wade, Jennifer Hodbod & David R Williams, University of Leeds reviewed UK-based evidence of the impact of regenerative agriculture on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions to determine if regenerative agriculture can support the UK in achieving Net Zero ambitions. Evidence from global studies may not be directly applicable to the UK because impacts are highly dependent on local soils, farming systems and climatic and environmental conditions. Therefore, the team focused on evidence from UK trials only. The scoping review found very little published research and a lack of consistent evidence for the impacts of combinations of regenerative agriculture practices on net greenhouse gas balances in the UK. Considerable evidence needs to be generated rapidly to ensure that the most effective practices are supported and implemented in appropriate locations. - Unlocking private investment in soil carbon in England (May 2023).
Professor Guy Ziv, University of Leeds, Matthew Orman, Sustainable Soil Alliance and Professor Mark Reed, SRUC’s Thriving Natural Capital Challenge Centre, CEO of Fast Track Impact, and Research Lead for the IUCN UK Peatland Programme offer recommendations for the design of high-integrity agricultural soil carbon markets highlight difficulties for farmers to enrol in both Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and emerging agricultural soil carbon markets. To unlock private finance, new public schemes should focus on paying farmers for soil carbon testing, and keeping carbon stored in already well-managed, carbon-rich soils. - The space age: minimising the use of crates in pig production (December 2022).
Dr Katie McDermott at the National Pig Centre will use funding from Research England to work closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to explore how the amount of time a sow (female pig) spends with restricted movement can be reduced whilst she nurses her young. - Using geothermal mine water energy for food production (April 2022).
This paper considers the effectiveness of using geothermal energy from mine water for food production to increase food security in a low carbon way. - Restoring agricultural soils (January 2022).
Megan Tresise, a third year PhD student, was seconded from their PhD to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) Fellowship from October to December 2021. Megan produced the Restoring agricultural soils POSTnote that was published in January 2022, providing an overview of some of the key research areas in soil science, as well as developing soil policy initiatives. - Expanding the agriculture sanitation circular economy (September 2021).
This paper argues how expanding the agriculture-sanitation circular economy can address multiple United Nations (UN) policy objectives through the recovery of water, biomass and nutrients from sewage at scale.
Urban food systems
- Food Hubs for Security, Health, Inclusive Growth and Sustainability (PDF, 504KB) (April 2023).
This policy brief is based on research conducted at the University of Leeds in collaboration with Leeds City Council and Food Wise Leeds, funded by the Research England Policy Support Fund, and supported by Policy Leeds. - Evidence-based policy placement: Delivering the Leeds Food Strategy (December 2022).
Dr Neil Boyle explains how he will use funding from Research England to facilitate a part-time secondment to Leeds City Council to work collaboratively with policy teams to support evidence-based policy making and delivery of the Leeds Food Strategy. - The importance of Newcastle’s Grainger Market as an affordable source of food (December 2022).
This paper argues that Grainger Market is a crucial source of affordable food, social connection and food security for vulnerable communities in Newcastle, so its future development needs to protect these functions. - Tackling childhood food poverty in the UK (December 2020).
This paper provides a series of actions needed from national government and local authorities to reduce childhood food poverty, identified by a panel of experts. - Growing a resilient food system in Leeds (September 2020).
This paper considers Leeds’ strengths and opportunities to develop a climate resilient food system through greater leadership and vision.
Global food systems transformation
- Delivering a just transformation through the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (October 2022).
A review of KJWA discussions ahead of COP27 reveals important gaps in the efforts of KJWA to promote a socially and environmentally just transformation of agriculture. The Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) was established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to address how agricultural transformation could aid tackling climate change. - How does nutrition feature in climate-smart agricultural policy in Southern Africa? (PDF) (August 2020).
The Global Challenges Research Fund project Agricultural and Food systems Resilience: Increasing Capacity & Advising Policy (GCRF-AFRICAP) produced this policy note on the challenge facing Africa when it comes to nutritious and environmentally sustainable ways of feeding a growing population. Read the full working paper. - International food trade and nutrition security (PDF) (March 2020).
GCRF-AFRICAP produced this policy note which considers the impact that different international trade patterns and disruptions might have on future nutrition security.
Food waste
- Food Waste (July 2024).
Dr Carrie Bradshaw, School of Law, evaluates interventions for preventing edible food waste by looking at the existing evidence base, government interventions in the food supply chain, and legislation for surplus food redistribution.
Inquiries
Our academics and researchers have also given evidence in the following inquiries:
- Fairness in the food supply chain (PDF, 212KB) included Fairness in the food supply chain oral evidence from Dr Carrie Bradshaw.
- Soil Health featured evidence from Dr Ruth Wade and Professor Pippa Chapman.
- UK trade policy: food and agriculture included evidence from Professor Fiona Smith.
Image of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London via Marcin Nowak/Unsplash.com.