Institutions participating in the Global Farm Platform:
Instituto National de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA)
The National Institute of Agricultural Research is a governmental institution ruled by non-state private law. Its mission is to generate and adapt knowledge and technologies in order to contribute to a sustainable development of the agricultural sector and the Country as a whole, taking into account State policies, social inclusion and market and consumer demands. The Extensive Livestock Production System and the Crop-Livestock Production System are two of the different areas that INIA is currently working on. The first system includes livestock mostly produced on natural grasslands combined with oversown and/or improved swards, whereas the second refers to the husbandry carried out in close association with annual crop production, such as soybean or wheat.
National Meat & Wool Research Programme
Farm Platform: Palo a Pique
Contact: Dr Fabio Montossi, Dr Walter Ayala
Department of Agronomy
Developing Solutions to Beef Cattle Concerns
Beef produced on pasture and rangeland forages and dual-purpose winter wheat in the U.S. Southern Great Plains provides a significant portion of the nation’s red meat; constitutes the largest land use and agricultural enterprise in the region; and is subject to a widely variable climate. The aim of this project is to answer critically important research questions and deliver Extension programming about impacts of weather, climate variability and climate change on system vulnerability and resilience. Our long-term goals are to: better understand vulnerability and enhance resilience of beef-grazing systems in a world of increased climate variability, dynamic land-use, and fluctuating markets safeguard regional production while mitigating the environmental footprint of agriculture
Great Plains Grazing Coordinated Agricultural Project
Contact: Distinguished Prof Charles Rice
Kerala State Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU)
The College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pookot was formally inaugurated on 11 December 2004. The campus is sprawled over 100 acres in the scenic hilly terrain of Wayanad in Kerala, India. The College offers Under Graduate (BVSc & AH), Post Graduate (MVSc) and Doctoral (PhD) Programmes in Veterinary & Animal Sciences. The resources at COVAS Pookat include: Laboratories, Library, Clinical training, Farm training, Ambulatory clinic, Work experience/ enterpreunership, Student projects, Topic presentations & discussions and Study tours.
Farm Platform: Thiruvazhamkunnu (Silent Valley)
Contacts: VC Balasundaram Ashok, Dr. Stephen Mathew, Dr. Valil K Vinod, Dr. Marykutty Thomas, Dr. Deepa Ananth, Dr. T.P. Sethumadhavan
Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences
The Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences at Massey University is a world leader in its field. We advance knowledge in animal health and welfare, biosecurity, conservation and sustainable productivity. We work with governments, other universities, international and national organisations and companies to improve animal and human health.
Farm Platform: No. 1 Dairy Farm
Contact: Prof Nicolás López-Villalobos
College of Agricultural Sciences
Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences conducts research on dairy cow metabolism and its relationship to metabolic and infectious disease, metabolic profiling, metabolism in pregnant animals and modelling of rumen function and animal nutrient requirements, and has a Centre for Mastitis Research and Milk Quality specialising in practical dairy herd preventive medicine programs, safe and effective animal health products, and improved management techniques for the dairy industry. Penn State’s emphasis on extension will be of particular importance in research on best practice for dissemination of findings for optimal uptake of sustainable farming by agricultural communities and businesses.
Contact: Robert Van Saun
Systems Research in Sustainable Food and Farming
Rothamsted Research is the longest running agricultural research station in the world, providing cutting-edge science and innovation for nearly 170 years.
Rothamsted has a vision to be a world-leading research centre in plant and soil science for sustainable agriculture.
Our mission is to deliver the knowledge and new practices to increase crop productivity and quality and to develop environmentally sustainable solutions for food and energy production.
No single approach can deliver sustainable agriculture with high productivity and value. A broad perspective that encompasses the whole plant system is needed and a careful balance of approaches is required. Rothamsted integrates biotechnology with other areas of science such as agronomy and agro-ecology so both existing and new knowledge can be implemented through agricultural practice.
Our strength therefore lies in our integrated, multidisciplinary approach to research in plant and soil science.
Contacts: Jennifer Dungait, Jordana Rivero
Small Scale Livestock and Livelihoods Program
The Small Scale Livestock and Livelihoods Program (SSLLP) is a local Malawian non-government organisation that provides poor families with the means to combat their poverty in a sustainable and long-term manner. It does this by providing them with various types of livestock and ensuring that infrastructure exists in the form of training, extension services, water and sanitation, and community development, to ensure enduring benefits. SSLLP has an enviable record and enviable experience and local knowledge. In its animal distribution programs, it spreads the benefits through a time-honoured and effective system where primary recipients distribute the first breeding offspring to secondary recipients. This is called “Passing on the Gift”. Please visit our web site for further information.
Contact: Sute Mwakasungula
Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences
Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology
Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology faculty and students pursue excellence in socio-economic research and teaching. We are a unique group of applied economists and sociologists who focus on agriculture, forestry and issues of the environment. Our students and over 18 faculty members are involved in cutting-edge research on the socio-economic aspects of managing natural resources. Our research is interdisciplinary and involves collaborative efforts among natural and social scientists.
Contact: Professor Ellen Goddard
School of Veterinary Sciences
The University of Bristol School of Veterinary Sciences is situated at a dedicated site on the edge of the rural Mendips in the village of Langford, 14 miles south of Bristol.
Our 255-hectare estate is home to state-of-the-art facilities that are ideal for our researchers conducting a large variety of research activity, as well as being fundamental to our commitment in delivering first-rate teaching on all our undergraduate courses and postgraduate taught programmes.
University of Bristol Cabot Institute
Contacts: Prof Mark Eisler, Dr Michael Lee, Dr John Tarlton, Dr Becky Whay
Leeds Food Hub
The Leeds Food Hub addresses the pressing challenge of global food security. It encompasses Africa College, an international research partnership working to improve the food and nutritional security of people in sub-Saharan Africa. We are a cross-disciplinary grouping of researchers, in areas from plant sciences, through engineering and chemistry, to water resources management, nutrition and ecosystem services. To meet the grand challenge of global food security a greater understanding of food systems, including the interrelationships between climate change, land use, biodiversity, water, crop and animal productivity, and human health is needed. We seek to develop and implement new understanding about food systems through undertaking research that is focussed on outcomes.
Contacts: Professor Helen Miller, Dr Henry Greathead
Faculty of Agriculture and Environment
Centre for Carbon, Water and Food
Academic programs in agricultural science were established in the University of Sydney in 1910 with the appointment of Robert Dickie Watt as the Foundation Professor in Agriculture. From the outset it was intended that “the University teach the main principles of scientific investigation relating to agriculture, not the mere details of agriculture”, and this principle has guided the Faculty throughout its development.
Contact: Prof Michael D’Occhio, Beverley Henry
Institute of Agriculture
The University of Western Australia Institute of Agriculture is committed to promoting sustainable productive agriculture for a growing world. We coordinate the teaching, graduate and postgraduate training, research and agribusiness activities, with integrated activities related to agriculture, land and water management, rural economy, policy and development, food and health.
Farm Platform: Future Farm 2050
Contact: Prof Graeme Martin, Prof Lynette Abbott
Department of Agronomy
Feeding 9 Billion People and Creating a Healthier, More Resilient Agriculture
That is the challenge taken up by the faculty, staff and students of the Department of Agronomy. We generate and apply knowledge about plants that feed and benefit humankind. We find and implement answers to problems and opportunities concerning efficiency and sustainability of crop production and in safe and environmentally-sound ways. We generate knowledge on the genetics, biochemistry and physiology of plants. We study the interactions among cropping systems, climate, and the environment. We work to ensure that agricultural systems and products in Wisconsin and the world are able to meet rapidly-changing needs and those of future generations.
Dairy Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP)
Farm Platform: Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial
Contacts: Professor Molly Jahn, Dr Sarah Collier, Dr Gregg Sanford
College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture
The College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture (BILSA) offers degree programs in agriculture, biology, business and accounting, media studies, and industrial studies. With its emphasis on both theoretical and applied knowledge, the college is committed to educational excellence within a diverse learning community. As a resource center, BILSA promotes cooperative interactions with organizations in the public and private sectors.
The School of Agriculture has on-campus science laboratories, greenhouse, a 430 acre university farm, and a strong internship program provide for hands-on learning.
Farm Platform: Platteville Pioneer Farm
Contact: Dr Dennis Busch
Institute of Dairy Science
The Laboratory of Ruminant Nutrition belongs to the discipline of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science (Key Discipline of MOA in 2000, National Key Discipline in 2007). It plays an important role in the National Engineering Laboratory for Feed Safety and Pollution Control, China Ministry of Education (MoE) Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, and China Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science. Research interests in the LRN include lactation biology and dairy nutrition, efficient utilization of feed resources, rumen microbiology metagenomics, rumen physiology and fermentation manipulation, reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus release to the environment, etc. Research funding sources include the Ministry of Science & Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China, MoE, MoA, Provincial Department of S & T, and industry.
Contact: Prof. Jianxin Liu