The University of Reading has agreed a new plan for investment in research areas for agriculture, and has completed a £16m purchase of farmland.
The 635-acre site at Tanners Farm, Farley, includes pasture, arable land and woodland, and is close to the university’s existing farm, near Arborfield.
Tanners Farm has been carefully managed, with schemes to encourage wildlife and protect the countryside.
The university said it would initially lease the land to its existing users, continuing to support biodiversity schemes.
The purchase of Tanners Farm, and the adoption of the Agrifood Futures Strategy, are significant events that will extend the university’s farming resources.
Professor Robert Van de Noort, vice-chancellor said: “The study of food and farming has been at the heart of the university’s work for more than a century.
“Our mission is to develop new methods and partnerships that will transform the way healthy, sustainable food is produced in Britain.
“This is another important step to raise Reading’s position among the world’s best for agricultural research."
The new farm is an addition to the university’s existing agricultural facilities around Reading, which includes mixed farmland and facilities in Arborfield, Shinfield and Sonning.
The funds for the purchase come from the university’s capital investment funds.
Professor Simon Mortimer, head of the university of school of agriculture, said it was an exciting development for Reading's ambitions to invest in the future of food and farming.
“The university’s purchase of Tanners Farm will give us the opportunity to research and demonstrate solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing Britain and the world."
