Introducing the Agricultural Resilience Impact and Innovation Hub (AGRIIH)
A new agricultural research hub seeks to co-develop cutting-edge, industry-relevant research and innovation that supports the transformation of agriculture towards a more sustainable and resilient future. March 18, 2025
The Agricultural Resilience Impact and Innovation Hub (AGRIIH) is a new initiative, designed to enhance the real-world impact of Oxford’s agricultural research by fostering close collaboration between academia, industry, and other stakeholders. The Hub seeks to co-develop cutting-edge, industry-relevant research and innovation that supports the transformation of agriculture towards a more sustainable and resilient future.
Sign-up to the AGRIIH Mailing List
Why is AGRIIH needed?
Agriculture is both a fundamental pillar of our food system and a major driver of biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The sector’s reliance on high-input farming, simplified production systems, and disconnection from natural ecosystems leaves it highly vulnerable to environmental and economic shocks. Addressing these challenges requires a fundamental shift in how agricultural research is conducted—moving from discipline-specific silos to an integrated, solutions-driven approach that balances productivity, social and ecological integrity, and resilience.
What does AGRIIH aim to achieve?
Oxford is home to world-leading research spanning plant science, climate and ecology, social science, business, and economics—a unique ecosystem of expertise that can drive meaningful change in agriculture. AGRIIH will serve as a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration, breaking down barriers between disciplines, and addressing the disconnect between academia and implementation. By working closely with industry and other agriculture sector stakeholders, the Hub will co-create scalable, actionable innovations that harness technology, people, and nature to create resilient, climate-smart agriculture.
How will AGRIIH deliver these aims?
Our approach includes assessing our research capacity to align with industry needs, conducting workshops to generate new ideas and collaborations, and fostering a strong feedback loop between researchers and end users. Through targeted funding initiatives and partnerships, we will support the development of scalable innovations that can drive real-world change. By actively identifying and pursuing funding opportunities, we aim to sustain and grow this collaborative ecosystem, ensuring that cutting-edge research translates into tangible agricultural impact.
Get involved
We are currently building the AGRIIH community. Sign up to the AGRIIH mailing list to stay updated and get involved with future activities.
Explore the AGRIIH project page and website.
Funding and Support
AGRIIH is supported by the Strategic Innovation Fund.
Members
The AGRIIH team is led by Dr Jen Lucey, Deputy Director of NbSI, with Dr Jing Zhang joining as Project & Knowledge Exchange Lead. Between them, Jen and Jing hold a wealth of experience working on agricultural resilience through different lenses. Jen leads impact-driven research on nature-based solutions for transforming agricultural landscapes to support biodiverse and resilient ecosystems, focussing on oil palm, while Jing’s work focuses on food system transformation, resilience, and sustainability via an actor-based lens and metric-driven assessment.
Steering Committee
Professor Dame E.J. Milner-Gulland, Department of Biology
Professor John Mackay, Department of Biology
Professor Lars Østergaard, Department of Biology
Dr William Thompson, Nature-based Solutions Initiative
Titular Associate Professor Monika Zurek, Environmental Change Institute, SoGE
Dr Lexi Earl, Oxford Martin School
Partners
Department of Biology (MPLS Division)
School of Geography and the Environment (Social Sciences Division)
Oxford Martin School (Social Sciences Division)
Future of Food network