BSc University of London, and PhD Open University, United Kingdom
I am a rural policy specialist and social scientist with particular interests in applying interdisciplinary approaches to policy-relevant research and in direct engagement in the policy process. My current research focuses on sustainable agro-food systems and food security; the historical and contemporary sociology of west country agriculture; & the interface between agriculture and environmental outcomes. I chair the Devon Nature Partnership.
Agricultural policy analysis and governance.
Sustainable agro-food systems and food security.
Sociology, geography, politcal economy and history of agriculture.
Farmer environmental attitudes and decision-making.
Agricultural tenure and property rights in the UK.
Nature conservation, land management and ecosystem services.
Conceptualising cultural ecosystem services: A novel framework for research and critical engagement
How scalable is sustainable intensification?
Farming Livelihoods and Landscapes: Tensions in Rural Development and Environmental Regulation
My previous appointments include: Board member of Natural England (2016 to March 2023), member of the UK JNCC, Board member of Rothamsted Research and chair of the Board’s Science Advisory Committee, Chair of North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Partnership, Visiting Programme Director in Food Security at Wilton Park (Foreign Office), member of Defra’s Panel of Agricultural & Environmental Economists, the National Ecosystem Assessment Expert Panel, and DEFRA’s Science Advisory Council, and a Commissioner for the Commission for Rural Communities from its inception in 2006 until its abolition in 2013.
In 1999-2000, I was a member of the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales chaired by Lord Burns. In 2008-09 I vice-chaired an inquiry into the future for the uplands reporting to the Prime Minister. In 2018 I was a member of the Defra Bovine TB Strategy Review Panel chaired by Professor Sir Charles Godfray.
