Mission

Our Mission

  • Undertake internationally excellent science that elucidates the interactions between soil, plants, water and the atmosphere within rice paddy-dominated landscapes.
  • Provide a scientific basis for global food security, safety and quality in rice agro-ecosystems by promoting the sustainable use of limited natural resources and identifying strategies that mitigate environmental impact on atmospheric and hydrological compartments.
  • Ensure the economic and social impact of our research, regionally, nationally and internationally, through innovation, training and engaging with end-users, policy makers, stakeholders and the general public.
  • Provide a framework for excellent teaching and research to assure future competence in agro-environmental and food sciences.

Our Activities

  • Help to address some of agriculture's most pressing challenges, for example mitigating and adapting to climate change, protecting natural resources and sustaining the rural economy in rice cultivation dominated regions such as North Italy.
  • Undertake interdisciplinary research aimed at providing a scientific understanding of all the components of rice production systems from the molecular to field to socio-economic level, and their interactions within and between these levels.
  • Develop and coordinate collaborative research programmes in the areas of rice paddy, environmental and soil systems to guarantee resilient funding streams from multiple sources.
  • Collaborate with scientists from complementary research centres to enhance our research potential and to maximise the impact and effectiveness of research output.
  • Engage with policy development for regional and national governance departments, agencies, the agri-food industry and other stakeholders.
  • Participate in outreach and dissemination activities to ensure high-impact contributions to the scientific community and the transfer of knowledge to society and end-users.
  • Provide an important resource for the education and training of our students through appropriate programmes and facilities.