The International Barley Hub and the Advanced Plant Growth Centre, two flagship innovation projects supported through a transformational capital investment of £45m by the UK Government and £17m by the Scottish Government via the Tay Cities Region Deal, have been greenlighted today (19^th March) by the Tay Cities Deal joint committee.

The £35m International Barley Hub seeks to secure the long-term future of the barley sector by developing new varieties and growing systems that can cope with future climate change, plus new uses for the crop. Barley is Scotland’s most important crop and a fundamental component of many key food and drink industries; it is pivotal to brewing and distilling and is also used for animal feed. The project is underpinned by decades of research at the James Hutton Institute and partners, including the University of Dundee, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and Abertay University, the Rowett Institute and others. Businesses and sectoral interest groups such as the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, Maltsters Association of GB, and the National Farmers Union Scotland form part of the project consortium’s demand side. The £27m Advanced Plant Growth Centre aims to revolutionise crop production systems to produce food locally, 365 days a year, with less environmental impact. Such systems can be completely independent of the weather or availability of agriculture land, for example, indoor vertical farms using LED lights that have full environmental control and are located close to the population on unused derelict land.

Read the full article at: www.hutton.ac.uk