Our research

Discover research projects taking place at the Institute for Sustainable Food. Our interdisciplinary approach addresses the entire food system by incorporating the work of natural and social scientists.

Global research

Young girl holding basil plants

Feeding the world with foam

The Desert Garden project is a unique project born out of innovative science and is giving families displaced by war the opportunity to grow fresh food in the desert using discarded mattresses.
Close-Up Of Woman Preparing Food - stock photo taken in Delhi, India

Forgotten Food

A team of scientists is growing a type of rice from India that had become extinct with the spread of higher-yielding types, as part of a project to revive recipes and flavours that have been lost.

Plant production and protection

Plant production and protection

Our plant production and protection research draws on our wealth of plant and soil science expertise and capitalises on our unparalleled ability to work across biological scales, from the genome to the global atmosphere.

Local research

close up plants in hydroponics system

Hydroponic growing in an abandoned school

In Sheffield, the team has set up an urban foam farm in an abandoned primary school and is working to increase access to fresh produce in a food desert, and train the community to grow food locally using this soil-free system.
Two workers loading fruit and vegetables in a warehouse

Working towards a healthier and more sustainable Sheffield by keeping it local

Professor Peter Jackson is co-leading a new collaborative project in Sheffield, aiming to create new routes to market for local small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with the goal of promoting healthier and more sustainable diets for the city's residents.

The natural environment

Informing policy

COVID-19 research

COVID-19 research

Experts from the Institute for Sustainable Food are working to understand the fragility in our supply chains and collaborate on ways to improve food security for all.