Agriculture

Agriculture with a focus on regenerative systems and livestock addresses one of the most important transitions in farming practice today. Regenerative agriculture is an approach to land and livestock management that aims not merely to sustain but to actively restore soil health, biodiversity and ecosystem function, while still producing food effectively. It draws on ecology, soil science, animal husbandry, agroforestry and landscape management, rejecting the dominant models of industrial agriculture in favour of practices that work with natural processes rather than against them.

The livestock dimension recognises that well-managed grazing animals can play a central role in regenerating grasslands and sequestering carbon, though this requires sophisticated management.

Anglia Ruskin University's three-year full-time programme in this area reflects a distinctive vision of what agricultural education should look like in an era of ecological crisis and food system transformation. The programme combines scientific understanding of soil biology, animal nutrition, crop and pasture management and ecological principles with the practical farming knowledge and business skills needed to manage agricultural land. The typical entry tariff for this programme is around 120 UCAS points.

You will study soil science and soil health management, livestock systems and animal welfare, pasture and forage management, agroecology, farm business management and the policy frameworks shaping land use in the UK, including agri-environment schemes and the new agricultural policy settlement following Brexit. The programme develops both the scientific literacy to engage with evidence about regenerative practices and the practical skills to implement them on working farms.

Graduates of this programme are well placed for careers in farm management, particularly in farms transitioning to regenerative approaches, as well as in agricultural consultancy, agri-environment advisory services, land agency, nature recovery and conservation, food system organisations and rural policy. The growing interest in regenerative agriculture across the food and farming sector means that graduates with specialist knowledge in this area are increasingly sought after by food companies, retailers, investors and NGOs as well as by farmers themselves. Postgraduate study in sustainable agriculture, agroecology or environmental land management is a further option.