Farming for a Resilient Future ~ RAU Lecture Series 2026

Farming for a resilient future – How Farmers, Science, and Policy Can Shape Tomorrow’s Food System

A free lecture examining the importance of farming for a resilient future and how farmers, science, and policy can shape tomorrow's food system.

The third event in our 2026 lecture series will take place on Wednesday 23 September 2026 from 6pm (doors open at 6pm with the lecture starting at 6.30pm) to 8pm in the Boutflour Hall at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU).

The lecture, entitled Farming for a resilient future – How Farmers, Science, and Policy Can Shape Tomorrow’s Food System, will be delivered Dr Karen Rial Lovera, Co-Dean for Agricultural Science & Practice (ASP), Associate Professor in Agriculture, and Head of International Partnerships at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) and will consider practical pathways that lead to a stronger, fairer and more resilient agrifood system.

UK farming faces rising costs, labour shortages, policy uncertainty and increasing climate pressures - factors that continue to affect farmer confidence and reshape business decisions. At the same time, national research shows the UK food system remains vulnerable because it is optimised for efficiency rather than resilience.

In this lecture, Dr Karen Rial‑Lovera considers how regenerative farming, scientific insight, and policy action can together strengthen the future of UK agriculture. Joined by a local regenerative farmer, they will ground this discussion in lived experience, highlighting practical challenges and opportunities, and show how these realities connect to current research and the policy frameworks shaping tomorrow’s food system.

Together, we look at how farmers, researchers, and policy can co‑create practical pathways that lead to a stronger, fairer and more resilient agrifood system.

The speaker:

Dr Karen Rial-Lovera is Co-Dean for Agricultural Science & Practice (ASP), Associate Professor in Agriculture, and Head of International Partnerships at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU).

She holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering, an MSc in Agriculture and Forestry Research from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), and a PhD in Crop Systems completed in collaboration with the RAU and Coventry University. Her research focuses on agroecological and regenerative practices and agricultural systems, with projects in the UK, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. She currently leads interdisciplinary research on resilient agrifood systems and sustainable nutrient management.

Karen has held academic roles at RAU, including the Douglas Bomford Trust Agricultural Engineering Chair, and at Nottingham Trent University, where she led the BSc (Hons) Agriculture course.

In her leadership roles at RAU, she oversees ASP academic programmes, research, and international partnerships while promoting equity, inclusion, and student voice in land-based education.

Come along to learn more about how farmers, science, and policy can shape tomorrow's food system.

Location: RAU Cirencester

Date: 23 September 2026

Time: 6pm to 8pm (doors open at 6pm with the lecture starting at 6.30pm)

Tickets and parking are free.

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Host or Publisher Royal Agricultural University