2023
Ruth is a Research Fellow at the University of Leeds, associated with the FixOurFood programme, specifically researching the role of regenerative farming systems. She completed a PhD in agroecology at the University of York and The James Hutton Institute in 2016, measuring the effects of predicted changes in precipitation patterns on barley crop development and defence, as well as the implications for pests and their natural enemies. She then joined the University of Sheffield as a Post-doctoral Research Associate working on projects studying the role of hedgerows and ley strips as refugia for soil organisms (SoilBioHedge) and comparing growth-survival trade-offs of annual and perennial, C3 and C4 grasses. Latterly she joined the agriculture and environmental consultancy ADAS, as a Crop Physiology Research Consultant before being promoted to Senior Research Consultant. During this position she provided ideas, specialist knowledge and solutions to farmers, agri-businesses and researchers in UK, Europe, Canada and USA.
In his talk Will will look at how the advice requirements differ between regenerative and conventional agricultural systems. The shift to system based decision making changes the approach to decision making and changes the information requirements. In system change research is important to understand impacts at farm level alongside independent assessment of trials research to […]