University of Reading

About

In the UK, the University of Reading is ranked 1st for Agriculture and Forestry (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026) and is consistently placed among the top 20 globally. Reading has world-class expertise and facilities spanning multiple disciplines across the University. This includes innovation in protected and vertical farming systems, precision agriculture, and the use of remote sensing and on-farm sensors to monitor and predict crop and livestock development, as well as to assess and manage key growth factors such as disease. The University also has significant expertise in improving soil health.

We also apply advanced data analytics to improve efficiency across the food value chain, including supporting resilient production systems in the context of climate change. Our research extends to the valorisation of food side streams and the development of food waste biorefinery innovations. In addition, we have leading expertise in agri-tech adoption, knowledge exchange and behaviour change, economic evaluation, applied policy, and the ethics of emerging agricultural technologies.

Agrifood Futures is Reading’s ambitious research strategy which brings together interdisciplinary expertise to address global food system challenges. It builds on our track record of research excellence and strong partnerships across the food system and aims to drive transformative change in how food is produced, consumed, and understood as we look towards 2050.

Researchers at Reading also benefit from access to our major farm-based research facilities:

• Centre for Dairy Research (CEDAR) at Hall Farm is a unique and internationally renowned facility for both applied and strategic large animal research. This includes work on milk composition and human health, dairy cow nutrition, and the environmental impacts of meat and milk production.
  


• Crop Research Unit (CRU) undertakes research on all aspects of arable, soft fruit and forage crop production. Located at our Sonning Farm, approximately four kilometres north-east of the Whiteknights campus, the CRU occupies approximately 15 hectares of the University's most uniform soil.
  


• International Cocoa Quarantine Centre (ICQC) ensures that vital cocoa germplasm can be safely exchanged for breeding purposes, without transferring pests and diseases between growing regions.
  


• Brogdale Farm (Kent) holds the National Fruit Collection, owned by Defra and managed by Reading. It is one of the largest fruit collections in the world, comprising over 3,500 named cultivars of apple, pear, plum, cherry, bush fruits, vines and cob nuts.