Cranfield has a global reputation for inspirational teaching and research, industrial-scale facilities and superior links with industry and commerce. Its wholly postgraduate student body and its staff combine to form a community of some 4500 professionals from more than 100 countries. It combines the academic rigor and long-term perspective of a university with the commercial and business focus of industry. The organization is directed towards sectors, private, public and charitable, rather than traditional academic disciplines. HESA statistics indicate that Cranfield is the largest provider of postgraduate agricultural education in the United Kingdom.
Agricultural and food research at Cranfield focuses firstly on the use of natural science, social science, and engineering to address key questions concerning the management of land for production and other ecosystem services and, secondly, on optimization of the whole food chain.
There is a particular emphasis on soil and water management on the farm and across the landscape, and on post-harvest technology, food processing, logistics and marketing.
Recent major investment has enhanced the University’s infrastructure and facilities for its research which include unique pilot-scale facilities for agricultural engineering, world-class laboratories, research-grade glasshouse facilities and the university farm at Silsoe.
Cranfield holds the soil information for England and Wales and the World Soil Survey Archive and Collection, within its National Soil Resources Institute.
Research and advanced education in land management including agricultural production and engineering is focused in the Department of Natural Resources: in the 2008 Research Assessment exercise 85% of the 29 academic staff entered in the agriculture unit of assessment were assessed as being recognised internationally and 40% as being internationally excellent.
The internationally-leading post-harvest technology group is part of Cranfield Health, while the world-class Manufacturing Department and the School of Management (ranked top business school in Europe by the Economist) deliver research and advanced education covering all aspects of the downstream food chain.
