The Institute for Sustainable Food is one of The University of Sheffield’s four flagship institutes. Its finds dynamic solutions to the challenges of food security and sustainability using cross-cutting research from the fields of science, engineering, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
Regather has collaborated with the Institute on a number of projects, allowing research and policy development to be tested within a real-life environment.
With University QR Policy Support funding, we recently commissioned eight undergraduate and postgraduate students to conduct research into key Sheffield food system issues. This evidence will be included in a report to be published later this year.
Regather is making a small, yet important, contribution to the £6 million H3 – Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People programme.
By bringing interdisciplinary researchers from Sheffield, Leeds, Bristol, Cambridge, Newcastle and City Universities together with stakeholders, the programme seeks to transform the UK’s food systems ‘from the ground up’.
We share particular interests in common with H3: increasing the production of healthy fruit and vegetables, cutting the use of harmful agricultural inputs and reducing our reliance upon imported food.
This partnership with the University’s Institute is a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge and to advocate for food system change alongside influential organisations, like the Soil Association.
Part of the Institute’s research is centred on methods suitable for producing food in urban spaces, where land for growing fruit and veg is in short supply. This has led to the development of a ‘minifarm’ next to Regather’s Club Garden Road community garden.
Comprised of repurposed shipping containers, the minifarm is trialing soil-free growing methods. This includes aquaponics, where fish provide the nutrients that plants need to grow.
