About this Event
Join us at the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, as we mark 180 years since the foundation of our establishment, the very first agricultural college in the English speaking world and now a leading light in the world of land-based study. We’ll be running a series of events throughout the year, including lectures, debates and open days so do follow us to make sure you stay up to date on our events and celebrations.
Our Future in the Land
The fourth 180th anniversary lecture will take place on Wednesday 10 September 2025 in the Boutflour Hall, at the Royal Agricultural University, delivered by Sue Pritchard is Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) and Tom MacMillan, Elizabeth Creak Chair in Rural Policy and Strategy at the Royal Agricultural University.
Behind our virtual realities of Zoom meetings and AI assistants, the world depends more critically than ever on how we use the land. This is because land is under unprecedented pressure. In the UK and globally, we need more from the land – food, energy, wildlife, carbon sinks, housing – than there are acres to provide it. Unless, that is, we use it differently. How can better ways of making decisions, and new tools and approaches to managing land, help us find a way through?
Sue Pritchard is Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) and an independent Governor of the RAU. The FFCC’s 2019 report, ‘Our Future in the Land’, recommended a national land use framework for England – a proposal accepted by the previous government that is now being implemented. Living on an organic farm in Wales, Sue and her family raise livestock and farm for conservation.
Prof Tom MacMillan is Elizabeth Creak Chair in Rural Policy and Strategy at the RAU. He provided research support to the FFCC and is involved in an initiative at the RAU to support land use innovation. He is a trustee of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust.
Come along to learn more about the new tools and approaches to managing land and the impact this will have in the UK and globally.
Location: RAU Cirencester
Date: 10 September 2025
Time: 18.00 to 20.00
Tickets and parking are free.
