News

New research from the Department of Computer Science and Technology shows that Tessera, an AI tool developed in the Department, could guide food security decisions.Small farms grow much of the world's food, but from space they are nearly invisible. Their fields are tiny and ill-defined, and the satellite tools built to track crops were designed for…

On 22 June 2026 the Global Food Systems Interdisciplinary Research Centre held a one-day invitation symposium at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge. Across 3 panel sessions, Sustainable Food Systems, Resilient Food Systems, and Healthy Food Systems, researchers and experts from across the University of Cambridge presented their work. Alongside the…

It is with great pleasure that we share the news that Professor Uta Paszkowski is the new Director of the Crop Science Centre. Professor Paszkowski's research into plant-fungal relationships serves as a cornerstone for enhancing global food security and establishing sustainable agricultural practices. Her work targets the challenge of feeding a gro…

To celebrate World Bee Day today, 20 May, we have collated some of the events that the Global Food Systems IRC has facilitated (see the Coffee Break seminar we run in 2023 with PhD Nynke Blomer, Zoology, and Benny Shen, Archaeology) and the key projects that our members, including our co-chair Professor Lynn Dicks, are involved with. You can learn …

To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week we have talked to one of our members, Dr Nadia Radzman, a researcher at the Sainsbury laboratory, Cambridge, and her work on the health benefits of eating broad beans particularly their positive effects on depression thanks to their chemical composition. “Broad beans could do so much good for people in this…

The war in Iran has had significant impacts on economies and markets, including the global food system. Notably, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is causing short-term shortages and price spikes as well as longer-term effects for farmers and food producers. Whilst the damaging impacts are serious for those affected and require immediat…

Professor Ed Turner, Professor of Insect Ecology and Curator of Insects in the Museum of Zoology, is one of twelve recipients of the Pilkington Prize 2026. The prizes are awarded to individuals who make a substantial contribution to the teaching programme of a Department, Faculty or the University as a whole. Ed was recognised for excellence and in…

Could voluntary biodiversity credits support the rewilding of nature-depleted land? The answer is yes but not as the only measure. A University of Cambridge-led team involving Professor David Coomes and other researchers from the Department of Plant Sciences, says that the emerging market for voluntary biodiversity credits could support the rewildi…

Decades of conflict devastated Somalia’s food systems, but scientists like Dr Ahmed Warsame, Head of the Legume Crop Resilience and Quality group at the Department of Plant Sciences, are helping restore them. Marta Millere from the Crop Trust profiles Dr Warsame’s work to revive Somalia’s cowpea diversity.Read the full article HERE. 

 The article examines the potential of macroalgae (seaweed) as an alternative protein source providing insights into key market enablers and inhibitors. 

On Monday 8 December, 12.30-1.30pm, the Lunchtime Conversation will see in dialogue Dr Katherine Berthon (Department of Zoology) and Dr Matthew Davies (Department of Archaeology) to discuss how regenerative agriculture can help producing food in a sustainable way and whether the approach is feasible for other realities like Africa. 

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has awarded a major grant to to the “Resilience in Agrifood Systems: Supply Chain Configuration Analytics Lab” (RASCAL) project aimed at building resilience in the UK’s food system.Led by GFS Co-Chair, Jagjit Singh Srai, Director of Research in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, the proje…

GFS member, Dr David Willer, is one of the authors of a fascinating paper published this month in the journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.    The paper focusses on research into the representation of food-system associated environmental hazards that threaten societies worldwide.   Dr Willer and his team explored the data gap in the gl…

In a new article for the University of Cambridge website, five Cambridge experts, including GFS members Prof Martin White and Prof Jean Adams, shared their thoughts on whether the new weight-loss drugs really are the answer to the obesity crisis.Current estimates suggest almost two thirds of UK adults are overweight or obese. Semaglutide-based weig…

A new paper, co-authored by GFS member, Dr David Willer, describes how researchers used AI to analyse social media posts and reveal potential consumers’ reactions to eating Naked Clams. Naked Clams are bivalves once known only as a destructive pest but now poised to revolutionise global diets. With a history stretching back 8,000 years, when Aborig…