Healthy Soil, Plenty of Worms. But What Are We Growing?
As any farmer will know, one of the simplest ways to assess the health of a soil is to disturb it. Dig into it. Add some water. Stamp on the ground. If the worms begin to emerge, it is usually a sign that something healthy exists beneath the surface. Life is present. Biological processes are […]
Why are Farmers Joining Five Bar Gate?
Five Bar Gate is Grounded Research’s farmer research community, bringing together more than 2,000 farmers from across the UK to take part in paid commercial, environmental and policy research. The community was created because we believed the people shaping the future of food and farming needed better ways to hear directly from the people living […]
Selling the story of UK food and farming
Better Stories, Stronger Connections: Reflections from a Sold-Out Evening in London It was a real privilege to speak at the recent Selling the Story of UK Food and Farming event in London, hosted by the brilliant team at Women in Food and Farming. A huge thank you to the organisers for the invitation, for creating […]
Say Hi to Emma
I joined Grounded Research about three months ago as a Research Executive. It’s a bit of a shift in direction for me, but one that feels like a natural fit. What I’ve always enjoyed most is working in agriculture and horticulture, alongside farmers and growers, and using robust, meaningful data to help drive positive change across the […]
Meet Will…our new director
I’ve recently joined Grounded Research after what Clare would probably describe as a 13-year interview process. As her husband, I’ve had a long view of the business, the clients we work with, and the role research plays across the food and farming sector….as well as being her tech support and spreadsheet wrangler. I’ve also seen […]
A Nibble Around the Edges… or an Appetite for Change?
I recently spent some time with the new Resilient Food Systems Index from Economist Impact, supported by Cargill. It is thoughtful, well-constructed and asks an important question at exactly the right time: not simply whether the world can produce enough food, but whether our food systems can continue to function when placed under pressure. It […]
Mounjaro Who? The real disruption to food is coming from the robot doing your shopping
The industry is consumed by appetite suppressants. But the far more radical threat to how people buy, cook and eat is already being built and it doesn’t require a prescription, access to disposable income or a trip to a private clinic. Spend ten minutes in any food industry conference room right now and the conversation […]
The Warrendale Wagu Story
Last week I had the opportunity to attend a talk from the team at Warrendale Wagyu and it has stayed with me since. Not because of the product itself, but because of the way the business has been structured behind it. For those working across food, farming and the wider supply chain, there are some […]
Best £650k ever spent… or another black hole?
I don’t disagree with Defra funding up to £650k of training for their internal team… but I don’t wholly agree with it either. If we want better policy, then the people making decisions do need to understand how farming actually works. The variability, the risk, the seasonality, and the reality of running a farm business. […]
Over-reported stats and under-researched reports are doing UK farming more harm than good.
With thanks to the team at Farmers Guardian for supporting our efforts to achieve more robustness and representation in UK agriculture. Below is the full article, published 26th January 2026. Following a turbulent 2025, pressure continues to build across the whole supply chain – and with that, no doubt, will come an explosion of ‘insight’. […]