Earth Observation satellites can monitor every part of the globe, offering a detailed view of the Earth's surface on a daily basis. This is a valuable source of intelligence for the agricultural industry, since one can - in theory - map all farmland to determine, for example, the rate of growth of crops, signatures of crop stress and disease, the presence of flooding or signs of drought. These factors are vital to the efficient production of food and maintaining food security. On one hand, a precise view of crop health allows farmers to optimise the use of fertiliser and water, and the rapid identification of threats allows food producers to respond in a timely manner to mitigate their impact on the food supply. There is a problem: cloud cover. Clouds obscure the view of Earth Observation satellites in the visible and infrared spectral range, and this is where the vast majority of remote sensing analysis is performed. This limits the value of imagery, because if it is cloudy when the satellite passes over, the intelligence is lost. Our solution is to exploit radar data. Satellites equipped with radar can reflect radio waves off the ground and detect their reflectance. Since radio waves are not affected by cloud, this offers an uninterrupted and reliable view of the ground. However, the challenge has been in the interpretation of radar data. We have solved this challenge by developing an algorithm that can accurately predict what would have been seen in the traditional V/IR images (e.g. the RGB image our eyes would see) for cases where the surface is obscured by cloud. We call our algorithm ClearSky. In this project we will use ClearSky to monitor every single field in the UK, every week. Our predictions will allow us to assess the presence and density of vegetation and its rate of growth, as well as determining local threats such as flooding and the onset of drought. Our aim is to deliver this intelligence direct to farmers and the food supply industry in order to aid the decision making process with regards the most efficient use of resources in producing food, and enabling us to be agile to potential threats to food security associated with a changing climate.

'Raising the Pulse (RtP)' is based on the concept that considerable health and environmental benefit would result if we could make it easier for the UK population to eat more UK grown pulses. The pulse best suited to the UK, the faba bean, is naturally high in protein, micronutrients and fibre, and has the lowest environmental impact of all crops, as it can 'fix' nitrogen from the atmosphere with no need for polluting nitrate fertilizers. However, most of the population will not significantly increase their consumption unless they are successfully incorporated into familiar looking and tasting, economic and convenient staple foods, such as bread. This has not been done to date because economic incentives do not exist for producers to supply raw materials with defined end use quality, nor for processors to reconfigure their processing plant to accommodate a new raw material. A major stimulus such as that provided by this study is required to encourage food manufacturers to use UK pulses to satisfy consumer demand for plant-based and pulse-rich foods rather than importing chiefly soy-based ingredients. RtP addresses this market failure by bringing together a consortium to develop feasible routes to market for UK produced foods with added faba beans. The project includes experts in diverse areas, including environment, agriculture, food, nutrition, health and consumer behaviour, who have a demonstrated track record in this area and who will work with industry, government and civil society to tackle five linked challenges: Challenge 1: how can environmental impacts of faba beans grown to meet specific quality standards be minimised? We will conduct extensive field trials to establish growing protocols to maximise the amount of nutrients produced per unit area using the best available genetics, agronomy and post-harvest technologies while making detailed measurements of environmental impacts. Challenge 2: how can faba beans from Challenge 1 be prepared for incorporation into a variety of food products such that they retain the highest possible nutritional value and minimal change in taste? Following successful pilot breadmaking trials conducted to demonstrate feasibility, we will optimise cultivar selection, pre-processing and milling steps to obtain faba bean flours that can be successfully combined with wheat flour to make RtP bread that is an acceptable alternative to conventional bread, but with added nutritional and environmental benefits. Challenge 3: what effects do eating more pulses have on nutritional intake and human health? A human study will be performed using RtP bread to determine nutrient availability and its effects on hunger and health markers. Furthermore, two consumer studies, one in student halls of residence and one in the catering outlets on the University of Reading campus, will be conducted. These will investigate whether faba beans offered as RtP breads and in other foods result in a healthier diet and better nutritional knowledge when information of their benefits is given. Challenge 4: how can understanding of consumer attitudes, preferences and behaviours be used to achieve optimum increase in pulse intake? Addressing this crucial point will involve reviewing evidence, performing focus groups, surveys, choice experiment and test market launch. This will include determination of how RtP bread and related foods are perceived, whether they are liked and, therefore, chosen and whether knowledge of their benefits promotes their consumption. Challenge 5: will combine all data collected across the project to create an over-arching mathematical model of interactions between pulse (particularly faba bean) production, manufacturing and consumption. This model will be used to determine the influence on environment and health of legislation and consumer behaviour and to predict the outcomes of specific interventions to hasten the transition of the UK population to a diet that contains more pulses.

The STFC Food security Network+ brings together food researchers with STFC researchers and facilities to tackle food security challenges. The SFN activities are divided into three Themes: Theme 1: Sustainable Food Production. Developing food production systems that maintain healthy soils, reduce impact on the natural environment and provide reliable yield in the face of changing climate. Theme 2: Resilient Food Supply Chains. Monitoring, modelling and design of food supply chains to enhance resilience, environmental and social benefits, and public health. Theme 3: Improved Nutrition and Consumer Behaviours. Investigating how best to change consumer behavior to enhance nutrition and health whilst reducing waste and demands on land, energy and water. Running across each of these themes is existing STFC expertise that can address important research questions within and between the food themes, and catalyse new research activity: Expertise A: STFC Data Science. Astronomers and particle physicists routinely analyse Tbs of data in large international collaborations which share code and frameworks. This necessitates the use of novel algorithms to sift and/or extract the key information about the Universe. Expertise B: STFC Technology. STFC researchers routinely push the boundaries of cutting edge technology for building space, CERN and STFC instrumentation e.g. precision engineering of lens systems to a fraction of the thickness of a human hair and hyper-fast and/or sensitive detectors. Expertise C: STFC Facilities. STFC hosts world-leading beamlines including Diamond synchrotron and ISIS neutron and muon beams, used to determine molecular to subatomic structures. Furthermore, Hartree and UKATC play leading roles in data science and technology. Network+ Factsheets provide more detail on each of the above topics: more information on the food themes aimed at STFC researchers; more information on STFC capabilities aimed at food researchers. There is a kick-off survey to raise awareness of the network, publicise the factsheets, increase the Membership and identify areas of greatest interest for meetings. The Network+ has a wide and inclusive Membership which is brought together by Annual Network+ Meetings. At these meetings the topics for smaller Sandpits are decided at which STFC and food researchers are brought together to brainstorm ideas for Small Scale Scoping studies. 8 Small Scale Scoping studies will be funded (<8k each) followed by 3 Proof of Concept studies (<40k each) and an Impact Sandpit at which ideas are pitched to a panel including Industry members and stakeholders in a Dragon's Den format.

LANDMARK (LAND MAnagement for flood RisK reduction in lowland catchments) will evaluate the effectiveness of realistic and scalable land-based NFM measures to reduce the risk from flooding from surface runoff, rivers and groundwater in groundwater-fed lowland catchments. We will study measures like crop choice, tillage practices and tree planting, that have been identified by people who own and manage land, to have the greatest realisable potential. NFM measures will be evaluated for their ability to increase infiltration, evaporative losses and/or below-ground water storage, thereby helping to store precipitation to reduce surface runoff and slow down the movement of water to reduce peak levels in groundwater and rivers. However, we need to carefully examine the balance between increased infiltration, soil water storage and evaporative losses under different types of NFM measures, because long-term increases in infiltration could actually increase groundwater and river flood risk if there is less capacity within the ground and in rivers to store excess precipitation from storm events. Also, following a review of the available research to date, other researchers (Dadson et al, 2017) came to the conclusion that land-based NFM measures would only provide effective protection against small flood events in small catchments. As the catchment size and flood events increase, the effectiveness of land-based NFM measures in reducing flood risk would decrease significantly. However, this idea needs to be tested further. Currently, there are many unanswered gaps in knowledge that make it hard to include land-based NFM measures in flood risk mitigation schemes. The Environment Agency tell us that there are no case studies on land-based NFM measures to support decision making, with most focusing on leaky barriers made from trees. Yet, land-based NFM measures have potential to do more than just reduce flood risk, including improving water quality, biodiversity and sustainable food and fibre production. So in LANDMARK, we will carry out research to help to fill this evidence gap, and test the ideas Dadson et al. proposed about land-based NFM using the West Thames River Basin as a case-study area. We will work at three spatial scales (field, catchment and large river basin) and explore modelling scenarios, developed with people who own and manage land and live at risk of flooding, to look at how land-based NFM could affect flooding. Scenarios will include experiences in the recent past in July 2007 and over the winter of 2013-14, and how future land use and management could affect flood risk in 2050 as the climate changes. We will consider how government policy could change after we leave the EU to support land-based NFM. Work will be carried out in five stages: (1) we will bring together available maps, data and local knowledge on current land use and management, and use this to create scenarios for modelling experiments to explore land use and management measures impact on events from the past and in the future; (2) we will make measurements to see how below-ground water storage and infiltration vary between different land-based NFM in fields where innovative land management is being practiced; (3) we will collect data from sensors sitting above the ground, flying on drones and on satellites to see how vegetation and soil moisture vary across large catchment areas; (4) we will use all the data collected from 1-3 to run modelling experiments across a range of scales, linking together models that capture soil and vegetation processes, overland and groundwater flows and catchment hydrology, exploring variation in model outputs; and (5) we will create web applications to display and explore the outputs from the modelling experiments. All this work will be supported by workshops, field visits, reports and resources to support people and their learning about how land-based NFM measures work and could be used to reduce flood risk.