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Expanding the UK's edible horticulture sector presents a strong opportunity to boost economic growth, strengthen food security, and deliver environmental and public health benefits. Increasing domestic production of fruits, vegetables, and legumes would reduce reliance on imports while generating billions of pounds in economic value and supporting thousands of rural jobs. At the same time, horticultural crops are often resource-efficient and nutrient-dense, helping to lower the environmental footprint of food production while improving access to healthy diets. Strategic investment and coordinated policy support will be key to unlocking the sector's potential and building a more resilient, sustainable UK food system.

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ÌÇÐÄTV Crop Centre researchers Sarah Trinder, Charlotte Allender and Nick Fenby have contributed to a major international study recently published in Plants, People, Planet.

The study represents a large-scale collaborative effort to understand strategies for conserving seeds, a critical component of global food security. As part of the research, data from the UK Vegetable Gene Bank (UKVGB) were used to analyse genetic diversity and inform conservation approaches for vegetable crops.

This work highlights the importance of international collaboration in safeguarding plant genetic resources and provides insights that will help improve seed conservation strategies worldwide.