NATURAL
RESOURCES
INSTITUTE

Knowledge for a sustainable world

Consultancy

In addition to our work in research, teaching and training, NRI is often called on to undertake consultancies and to provide other technical and management service.

Our current work in this area ranges from management of large, multi-year, donor funded projects to shorter, specialised studies. NRI also works at all stages of the donor project cycle, including identification, preparation, implementation and evaluation.

Current examples of our consultancy work include:

  • Management of a four-year project to develop the renewable natural products sector in Namibia
  • Evaluation of donor support to Rwanda
  • Design of a South-South agriculture and aquaculture development programme
  • Support to building food inspection services in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries
  • Production of pheromone lures
  • Improving storage of fresh fruit and vegetables
  • Professional witnessing and survey

NRI works with a wide range of clients both in the public and private sector. We are currently undertaking work for The World Bank, DFID, COFFEY International, The EC, The Millennium Challenge Account, The Gatsby Foundation, Send a Cow, Belgian Aid, The NEPAD Agency, AGRA and other private sector companies.

For further information on the services we can provide, please contact John Linton or Liz Millar on j.linton@gre.ac.uk or e.m.millar@gre.ac.uk.

Although our consultancy work is generally undertaken by our own staff, we do work with associates from time to time. If you are interested in being included on our roster of service providers please contact Liz or John at the above addresses.

Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Sciences

NRI researchers address challenges and opportunities relating to the spectrum of activities from food production to consumption, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries particularly in sub-Saharan Africa but increasingly also on those related to the UK. At the primary production end of the scale this includes a particular emphasis of the vectors of disease of people, livestock and crops. Our work post-harvest concentrates on durable and perishable crops to, reduce losses, enhance financial and/or nutritional crop value, improve storage and preservation, improve food processing technologies, ensuring food safety and quality management and, address food loss and waste – all with the ultimate aim of improving the livelihoods and nutritional status of vulnerable, less advantaged populations.

The Chemical Ecology Group works on the identification and use of naturally-produced chemicals for control of pests, particularly in the developing countries.

Climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the biggest global challenges in the coming decades, primarily due to their impacts on the provision of ecosystem services.

The Food Systems Research Group addresses challenges and opportunities relating to the spectrum of activities from food production to consumption.

The work of the Pest Behaviour Group ranges from laboratory-based research to analyse the basic physiology and behaviour of pests and vectors through field-based studies of pest behaviour and ecology to translational research where knowledge of pest behaviour is used to develop innovative control technologies.

The Plant Health Group’s research focusses on reducing yield losses caused by pests and diseases through application of integrated natural and social science approaches. Fundamental research to understand complex plant-virus-vector interactions are focussed on providing critical components needed to generate impact through improved and sustainable control measures.

Anthropology and Development Studies

NRI social scientists are committed to researching major questions about how households and communities in the global South escape from poverty, how they make themselves more resilient to external trends, and how they can be helped by governments and their policies, civil society, market actors, and international agencies. We research these questions in projects we design and lead ourselves, and in collaboration with colleagues from the biophysical sciences, in NRI and beyond.

Our research addresses poverty and vulnerability, and how poor people themselves, governments, the private sector and civil society can help overcome them

 

Impact Case Studies

NRI undertakes interdisciplinary research to improve lives and sustain our planet. We generate new knowledge and insights, carrying out our work together with our global partners and the communities we aim to support, to ensure our research has sustainable impact. From the concept stage to implementation and assessment, delivering real impact is intrinsic to our research projects and programmes, and encompasses our whole research environment organised into interconnected Research Groups and Development Programmes. As part of UKRI’s exercise to assess the impact of research outside academia, we submitted seven impact case studies in REF2021, the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. In this section, you will find summaries of our impact case studies with contact details of the lead academic.

Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN)

The network allows ECRs to come together, to enhance their research and wider development skills in a dynamic and highly multidisciplinary working environment that strives for a vibrant and inclusive culture of research excellence.