Global Food and Environment Institute

The Global Food and Environment Institute (GFEI) is an interdisciplinary research community, which brings together members from across academia, industry and public policy.

We envisage a radically different global food system which works with nature and provides everybody with access to safe and nutritious food. Our aim is to develop enduring solutions that help bring about transformative change to create a food system that is socially-just, climate-smart and goes beyond sustainability; able to adapt vigorously to enhance the future habitability of our planet.

We encourage disruptive thinking and foster collaboration. We work in partnership with expertise from across the University to offer the Sustainable Food Systems MSc for those interested in exploring research that underpins food sustainability from a multidisciplinary perspective. Through our education, networking, advocacy and events programmes, we work with our influential partners worldwide to challenge assumptions and break new ground.

Policy at the Global Food and Environment Institute

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London via Marcin Nowak/Unsplash.com. — The Houses of Parliament in London. Image via Marcin Nowak/Unsplash.com.

Working with policy professionals is a key part of our vision to create an equitable and environmentally sustainable global food system.

Find out more about policy at the Global Food and Environment Institute .

Research spotlight

Sustainable food

Explore projects led by researchers in the Faculty of Environment, from farming to influencing consumer behaviour and reducing waste.
Smart farm

We are working with partners across Europe to co-develop research programmes that address modern agricultural challenges.

Extending the reach and impact of our research

Our researchers are engaging with policymakers and global research networks to share their work and help bring about positive change.

Delivering a just transformation through the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture

At COP 27, the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) will present a decision on the integration of agricultural transformation into the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Adding rock dust to UK agricultural soils could help UK reach net zero

A major new study shows adding rock dust to UK agricultural soils could absorb up to 45 per cent of the atmospheric carbon dioxide needed to reach net zero.
Parliamentary briefing on Food Insecurity and Children’s Health

Professor Louise Dye discussed how our experience of access to food and what we eat influences our psychological health at The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology in September 2021.
Professor Steve Banwart jointly appointed as Dean of Global Development

“We must harness...world-changing research and high-quality education with practitioners to achieve a greater good that is far more equitable in its impact and reach.”
How improving food movements can help save the planet

Food movements, highly dependent on fossil fuels, represent a big source of greenhouse gas emissions.