Research Awards

Ghana is the world's second-largest cocoa producer with an estimated 800,000 smallholder farmers growing cocoa. However soil degradation from continuous cropping is leading to a decline in cocoa yields and forest loss as farmers abandon their farms and move to new areas.

Working in partnership with the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr Andrew Daymond and Professor Tom Sizmur have been working to promote sustainable soil management using low-cost compost and biochar from farm wastes like cocoa pod husks, tree prunings and chicken manure.

Experimental trials were conducted in the laboratory, greenhouse and across 15 farms to assess the impact of soil amendments on cocoa yields, with farmers participating as early adopters and providing testimonials. Innovative approaches included using digital data capture techniques and combining soil science with social science insights from farmer interviews.

This multidisciplinary approach ensured compost formulations were relevant to local conditions. A steering group of stakeholders across the cocoa value chain, including government, international cocoa buyers, a farmer cooperative and a soil amendment supplier, guides the project's direction.

The project benefited farmers by increasing cocoa yields and co-creating knowledge on producing and applying organic soil amendments. The project’s success generated interest and additional funding from the private sector for extended field trials and dissemination activities. 

Field-based training events, including practical demonstrations and testimonials from early adopters along with a compost production guide and video, have enhanced the project's impact. The project also boosted demand for compost produced by the local enterprise supplying the project, EMFED Farms. Ongoing engagement with the confectionery industry aims to promote broader uptake of organic soil amendments globally.

In partnership with Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and EMFED Farms.

Funded by UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund, Biology and Biotechnology Research Council, Innovate UK AgriFood Africa Innovation Awards, Natural Environment Research Council, University of Reading Knowledge Exchange Fund and Touton S.A.

Children from homes in which family members read and own books develop stronger literacy skills and do well at school. However, low-income families often lack time and resources for reading activities. Early interventions like Sure Start positively impact educational outcomes even years later at GCSE level, highlighting the value of early support to reduce the disadvantage gap.

The Ready to Read project aimed to foster a love of reading in families in Whitley and Whitley Wood, reported to be among the most deprived areas nationally. Led by education experts Dr Holly Joseph and Dr Daisy Powell, researchers took a participatory approach, working with families, schools, libraries, charities and community centres to co-design activities that would be engaging, self-sustaining and tailored to local needs.

Based on extensive interviews and informal discussions, they co-designed parent-toddler storybook groups, a book club for parents and a school-readiness summer school for pre-schoolers.  

Key to the project's success was building trust with a community wary of top-down interventions through recruiting community members as co-investigators and providing incentives like opportunities to socialise, tea and cake, and free books.

Families reported benefits beyond just improved literacy - from increased confidence and new friendships to better sleep and mental health. The outcomes garnered strong support from local and national government, and raised funds for ongoing sessions.

As well as benefitting families, the project’s participatory approach has resonated with those seeking effective public services: evidence from the research has informed Labour policy discussions on early years provision and literacy development.

In partnership with Aspire2, Brighter Futures for Children, Hexham Road Community Centre, Reading Borough Council, Reading Libraries, Whitely Community Development Association, Whitley Excellence Cluster and Whitley Wood Community Centre.

Funded by University of Reading and John Sykes Foundation Community Fund, Friends of Reading University, Research England via the University of Reading Participatory Research Fund and University of Reading UROP scheme.

As many as 22% of people in the UK are living in food poverty, reliant on solutions outside of mainstream food systems such as food banks which do not enable them to plan or choose their diet. 

The FoodSEqual project brings together an interdisciplinary team from the University of Reading, four partner universities, food industry, government and civil society organisations to address food poverty and the lack of access to healthy, sustainable food for culturally-diverse disadvantaged communities. Working directly with community groups in Reading, Plymouth, Tower Hamlets and Brighton and Hove, the project uses participatory action research (PAR) methods to co-create sustainable food solutions to give communities choice and agency over the food they consume.

Community members have been trained as Community Researchers to support the research, foster trust, and facilitate engagement through workshops, focus groups and photo diaries, gathering data and enabling the ideas and voices of the community to be heard first hand. 

Researchers working across food, agriculture, environmental disciplines, human geography, sociology, business & management, psychology and built environment have benchmarked the current UK foodscape through a community lens, and are working to understand food aid supply chain fluctuations and improve the management of surplus food. 

The project promises societal, economic, and environmental benefits by trialling policy or supply chain interventions and working with food companies to co-develop products with the communities. In 2023, the project received additional funding to focus on integrating affordable fresh produce into local food systems to reduce health inequalities.

FoodSEqual’s collaborative approach ensures the project's findings and innovations are practical, sustainable and beneficial for the communities they are working with.   The methods and learnings are being documented to create a 'blueprint' of how to co-develop and conduct transformative transdisciplinary research in community settings.  

In partnership with Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), Barfoots of Botley Ltd, Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), Pladis, Premier Foods, Shift, Reading: WCDA/C.A. Belchers & Son Ltd/Food4Families, Plymouth: Sole of Discretion/Plymouth Fishing and Seafood Association/TamarFresh/Plymouth Soup Run/Food Plymouth CIC, Tower Hamlets: Women’s Environmental Network (Wen), London and Brighton & Hove: Brighton & Hove Food Partnership (BHFP).

Funded by UKRI,  in partnership with the Global Food Security Programme, BBSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC, Defra, DHSC, PHID, Innovate UK and FSA.

High farmer debt and suicides in India, exacerbated by soil degradation, is undermining effective agricultural production and rural wellbeing. Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a grassroots agrarian movement in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a low-cost, locally sourced natural farming method that promotes chemical-free farming to bolster smallholder farmers' resilience.

An interdisciplinary team, led by soil scientist Dr Sarah Duddigan and social scientist Dr Grady Walker, have been developing an evidence base to understand the effectiveness of the ZBNF approach.

Through a combination of controlled field experiments and participatory photography, their research considered the motivations behind the adoption of ZBNF. It engaged with over 150 smallholder farmers and young research fellows who actively participated in data collection and analysis, as well as other local stakeholders such as Women’s Self-Help Groups. 

The soil science investigations demonstrated how ZBNF enhances soil moisture retention and improves yield, while reducing expenditure. In parallel, the participatory photography revealed that farmers value ZBNF not just for potential yield gains, but for providing agricultural independence, preserving cultural legacy, and rejecting industrialised farming methods. 

The participatory approach directly benefitted community participants by sharing new knowledge about sustainable agriculture practices. The overall research project supported capacity building through training between the Reading team and over 100 Indian researchers and farmers.

Bringing the two disciplines together generated insights on the multifaceted socio-economic and environmental benefits. These insights could not have been achieved from either discipline alone. The project’s holistic findings have supported decision-makers who are intending to upscale natural farming to 6 million farmers in Andhra Pradesh, marking a significant step towards sustainable agricultural practices and rural development.

In partnership with Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS), a farmer empowerment organisation

Funded by KfW Development Bank

"In the Company of Monsters: New Visions, Ancient Myths" was a major exhibition held in Reading Museum from September 2023 to February 2024. Co-curated by Reading professors Emma Aston and Andrew Mangham with Reading Museum’s Elaine Blake, the exhibition showcased the works of local artist Eleanor Crook and Scottish artist Paul Reid, complemented by artifacts from the University’s Special Collections and the Ure Museum. 

The exhibition aimed to engage younger audiences (aged 14-25), identified as the ‘lost generation’ of GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums), in museum experiences, promote the arts and humanities, and challenge perceptions of difference through ancient mythology and modern reinterpretations. 

The exhibition was a collaborative effort involving the University’s Centre for Health Humanities (CHH), undergraduate students, and various University departments. It included a creative programme of activities, including drawing and writing workshops, an artist-in-residence day, gaming events, school visits, a school competition and a "deep dive" area for visitors to explore the themes of monster studies and monster theory.

The exhibition attracted 18,000 visitors and proved popular with younger and family audiences, with 37.6% of visitors aged 14-25. Feedback revealed that the exhibition changed perceptions, fostered empathy, and inspired visitors, particularly younger ones, to visit museums and art galleries in the future. Of those that had never visited the Museum before, 42% aged 14-24 and 100% of secondary school visitors, said they would make a return visit, suggesting a lasting impact on cultural participation and appreciation for the arts.

The project’s reach has extended beyond the exhibition with collaborations with local educational organisations to create bespoke lesson plans and digital resources. The partnership between CHH and Reading Museum will explore more challenging contemporary issues in future exhibitions.

In partnership with Reading Museum.

Climate change is affecting every inhabited region across the globe and human activities are intensifying extreme climate events including heatwaves, heavy rainfall and droughts. 

Climate scientist Professor Richard Allan, a lead Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) author and STEM Climate Ambassador, has been connecting with local groups, businesses and schools to educate and engage on the causes and consequences of human-caused climate change and motivate positive actions. 

Using an adaptable approach, Professor Allan combines the latest IPCC findings with engaging content on ancient climates and recent weather extremes that is appropriate to audiences with limited knowledge of the subject. The evolving communication style successfully reaches audiences with different skillsets, from oral storytelling to formal presentations. Schools benefit from hands-on demonstrations linking research to learning, while for businesses and local government, the focus is on the local context. 

Key to the approach is balancing state-of-the-art research with positive messages and solutions to inspire action rather than despondency. Delivery and content are continuously refined, including emphasising the exciting aspects of the science to motivate engagement, leading to more focused events.

Engagement with the transport sector, especially regarding electric vehicles and charging networks, has yielded positive results. Keynote presentations and collaborations with sustainable energy businesses like GRIDSERVE have showcased strong reactions and motivation for collective action toward achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Other collaborations and projects have followed, alongside ongoing requests for involvement from podcasts to an EV charging innovation centre.

Extensive communication through the media, blogs, social media and podcasts has further augmented the project’s reach. The evolving formats provide a model for engaging diverse audiences and specific sectors, demonstrating the power of effective science communication in increasing climate understanding and inspiring solutions. 

Staff who engage in globalisation benefit from increased career progression, but LGBTQ+ individuals often face challenges to their welfare and safety due to varying legal and cultural landscapes when travelling. Only 17% of universities have policies expressly addressing LGBTQ+ welfare in international travel.

The free “LGBTQ+ International Travel for Work Policy Development Tool” was created by Dr Frances Hamilton, and research assistant, Tahlia-Rose Virdee in the School of Law. It fills a crucial void in safeguarding by helping organisations develop policies addressing the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals crossing international borders. It also empowers individuals to check if their employer has relevant safeguards in place, providing tailored recommendations through blending original research, practical solutions and lived experience. 

The tool’s impact has been swift and signals a transformative shift in LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Twenty-seven universities across the UK, including the University of Reading, are using the tool to evaluate their policies. Endorsement from Stonewall, Pride in STEM, Advance HE, the University and College Union, Department for Education, and invitations from the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), highlight the tool’s significance. 

Further outreach work is ongoing with potential business partners and invitations to present have been received by the Universities Health and Safety Committee, Society for Research into Higher Education and global conferences. Further funding has been secured and will be used to evaluate use of the tool to date to inform improvements. A further 45 interviews with LGBTQ+ academics nationwide will provide a more robust account of challenges faced by LGBTQ+ persons when engaging in international travel, with intersectional factors addressed.

In partnership with Advance HE, Universities and Colleges Union and Pride in STEM