The UK’s leading agricultural research facility is facing a funding crisis with its future work in jeopardy, it can be revealed. Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843, and its research has been credited with preventing crop failures across the globe.
A letter from Rothamsted’s director, Prof Angela Karp, seen by the Guardian, has warned staff they will have to pause “non-essential” work, announcing a hiring pause and warning of pay freezes. Worried scientists have said they fear for their work, which is dependent on funding. About 350 scientists and 60 PhD students work at the facility. Its research includes work into how farmers can be productive while growing trees in their fields, finding out how much carbon crops can store, and two national networks for monitoring insect populations in the UK.
The UK’s leading agricultural research facility is facing a funding crisis with its future work in jeopardy, it can be revealed. Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843, and its research has been credited with preventing crop failures across the globe.
A letter from Rothamsted’s director, Prof Angela Karp, seen by the Guardian, has warned staff they will have to pause “non-essential” work, announcing a hiring pause and warning of pay freezes. Worried scientists have said they fear for their work, which is dependent on funding. About 350 scientists and 60 PhD students work at the facility. Its research includes work into how farmers can be productive while growing trees in their fields, finding out how much carbon crops can store, and two national networks for monitoring insect populations in the UK.
Read more at theguardian.com