Prof Tom MacMillan
2024
Prof Tom MacMillan is Elizabeth Creak Chair in Rural Policy and Strategy, at the Royal Agricultural University. He is interested in farming as a force for change to help tackle the climate, nature and health crises. He co-directs the Centre for Effective Innovation in Agriculture, and the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise. Tom is an advisor to the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission, and was part of the team who produced the National Food Strategy, led by Henry Dimbleby. Tom joined the RAU from the Soil Association, where he founded the Innovative Farmers network, which supports practical ‘field labs’ by farmers. Before that, he was Executive Director of the Food Ethics Council.
My Sessions
Regen Research Priorities
Where would the research effort and investment best help regenerative farming? Hear the findings from two recent reviews – a stocktake of farmers’ top priorities from across all sectors gathered by the NFU and Centre for Effective Innovation in Agriculture, and an independent assessment of the evidence on regen ag by ORC, NIAB and Agritech-E. […]
Re-thinking Agricultural Education
What should you learn if you study agriculture? For the first time, the UK universities that teach agriculture have teamed up to map what they cover and develop new shared modules. Hear what they found, how the curriculum is changing, and share your views and experiences.