http://www.knowledgescotland.org/ A new opportunity for policy stakeholders and Government audiences en-gb Copyright 2012, www.knowledgescotland.org contact@www.knowledgescotland.org ccc@www.knowledgescotland.org Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:19:48 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 40 http://www.knowledgescotland.org/resources/theme/logo_rss.gif http://www.knowledgescotland.org/ http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=261 Increasingly, policy makers and the public are experiencing the problem of litter in our seas and on our beaches. Marine litter has a substantial impact on Scotland's society, economy and marine environment - in 2010, a total of 53,162 items of litter were collected on a sample of Scottish beaches (along a length of only 22.3 km.) id=261 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=260 In recent years, collaborative and cross-sectoral approaches have been recommended as the most effective and equitable way to achieve better water quality in catchments. However, the realisation that such an approach is often the right thing to do does not mean that this is a simple and predictable process. id=260 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=259 The risks from flooding can never be completely eliminated but the harm caused by floods can be greatly reduced or mitigated by effective flood warning systems. However, past experience in Scotland and other countries shows that in times of flooding, many people are not prepared or do not react appropriately. id=259 Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=258 A previous Knowledge Scotland Research Briefing (Identifying And Supporting High Nature Value Farming Systems, May 2009) has provided a background to the development of the European High Nature Value (HNV) farming systems concept. id=258 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=255 Recent work at SAC, in collaboration with ADAS, has revealed that half of all oilseed rape fields in Scotland are infected with clubroot. id=255 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=256 This briefing discusses the results of a research project which aimed to indicate how Scottish agriculture and the wider agri-food industry can improve its competitiveness through raising productivity at both the farm production and food chain level. id=256 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=254 The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), seen by many as a 'Sustainability Directive', strongly emphasises the need for closer ties between river basin management and land use planning. At the same time, European guidance on spatial planning promotes the idea of incorporating wider social and environmental objectives within planning decisions. id=254 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=253 The Scottish Government recognises water as a key resource that is "vital to life, to Scotland's economy and to our environment". However, over the years many activities have had adverse impacts on both water quantity and quality. id=253 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=230 Farmland is one of the dominant land covers in Europe, covering over 45% (173 million hectares) of the European Union's 27 Member States. This briefing draws on the findings from an EU-funded project which highlighted a range of measures that could be taken to ensure that farmland biodiversity concerns are addressed in the CAP at an appropriate scale to be effective. id=230 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=231 This note discusses ways in which the market of ethical food can be expanded based on lessons extracted from several pieces of research carried out by SAC Food Marketing Research team. id=231 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=229 Persistent, low-grade inflammation is associated with an impaired immune function. This is a key factor in the development of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and dysfunction of the gut. Foods which comprise various protective nutrients and secondary non-nutrient compounds may improve immune function and the inflammatory process in laboratory studies. id=229 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=228 The capacity for agritourism to generate private economic benefits for farmers has been established in a range of international contexts. However, there has been limited focus on the potential of agritourism in Scotland. In this study, a range of socio-economic benefits have been identified in association with five different types of agritourism in five areas across Scotland. id=228 Thu, 26 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=227 Barley is Scotland's most important cereal crop in terms of output, being estimated at £243 million for 2008 according to the 2009 Economic Report on Scottish Agriculture, and its contribution to Scottish agricultural output is only exceeded by cattle and dairy production. id=227 Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=225 Since its introduction into the UK over two decades ago, caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) has become endemic within the national sheep flock. There is no treatment however scientists at Moredun have developed a vaccine that could be a significant benefit to the welfare, productivity and profitility of the nations sheep industry id=225 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=226 Full4Health is a new €9 million project funded by the EU Seventh Framework Programme, coordinated by the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health. The project brings together 19 of Europe's best labs with the aim of gaining a better understanding of why we feel hungry or full by exploring the interactions between food, our gastro-intestinal tract and our brain.  The potential to manipulate the mechanisms of hunger and satiety through diet is directly relevant to any policy concerned with obesity, since that condition is largely driven by over-consumption of food. id=226 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT