An update from our Leeds Farm plot trials

It has been another busy summer for the FixOurFood regenerative agriculture team. Dr. Ruth Wade made a key contribution to the UK Parliament’s new briefing on regenerative agriculture, the popular ‘Soil Doctor’ stand at the Great Yorkshire Show returned for July 2025 and there have been numerous knowledge-exchange visits with industry leaders like Frontier and the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD)

Our findings continue to feature in publications like Crop Production Magazine and our experts lead discussions in key webinars. The momentum for evidence-based regenerative farming is building—connecting policy, industry, and practice.

SCAR Agroecology working group

Pippa Chapman was invited by Defra to attend the first in-person meeting of the SCAR Agroecology working group at the French Ministry for Agriculture in Paris, 20-21st October 2025. Pippa gave the introductory talk to the first theme of five on ‘Updating performance measures and impact assessments of agroecological food systems,’ by presenting outputs from the FixourFood and H3 projects funded by the UKRI Transforming UK food systems programme. The meeting’s aim was to propose a first roadmap of actions for each of the five priority themes of the Agroecology working group. 

FixOurFood at the Great Yorkshire Show: Showcasing Soil and Regeneration

The Innovation Zone at the 166th Great Yorkshire Show, hosted by the Farmer Scientist Network, once again spotlighted cutting-edge research shaping the future of farming. The FixOurFood Regenerative Agriculture team ran a popular “Soil Doctor” stand, providing farmers with on-the-day soil analyses and practical guidance on improving soil health. Professor Pippa Chapman also chaired a panel discussion on Regenerative Agriculture: Soil Health, Innovation and Farmer Collaboration, highlighting new research and farmer-led approaches to sustainability. During the event, she met with West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin to discuss the role of regenerative farming in building more resilient regional food systems.

Dr Ruth Showcases Regenerative Research in Crop Production Magazine 

The July 2025 issue of Crop Production Magazine (CPM) featured Dr Ruth Wade’s work from the University of Leeds Regenerative Agriculture trials, part of the FixOurFood programme. Ruth highlighted findings from the 317-hectare study comparing seven farming systems to evaluate soil health, biodiversity, and profitability. Early results show encouraging increases in soil organic carbon within regenerative plots, with Ruth emphasising the need to balance microbial activity and nutrient inputs to deliver both environmental and productivity benefits.

Green Shoots Webinar: Exploring Regenerative Farming and Food Security

Dr Ruth Wade joined a panel of leading experts for Greenbank’s Green Shoots webinar on 9 September 2025, discussing how regenerative farming can secure future food supplies while enhancing ecosystem resilience. In conversation with Dr Roy Neilson (James Hutton Institute) and moderator Sophie Lawrence, Ruth explored how scientific evidence and practical farming innovation are converging to deliver measurable environmental and economic benefits. The session also reflected on the growing role of collaboration between researchers, investors, and policymakers in scaling regenerative solutions across the UK.

IGD Visit to FixOurFood Showcases Regenerative and Sustainable Food Futures 

On 24 September 2025, a delegation from the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) visited the University of York and the University of Leeds Farm to engage with FixOurFood’s leading research on sustainable food systems. The visit highlighted the synergy between innovations in vertical farming and regenerative agriculture, with Professor Pippa Chapman and Dr Ruth Wade guiding field tours of the regenerative agriculture trials at Leeds. Discussions focused on how evidence-based research and on-farm application can inform more sustainable supply-chain and retail strategies. The visit strengthened cross-sector collaboration between academia and industry, highlighting FixOurFood’s pivotal role in advancing practical, science-led solutions for resilient food production.