Founding Director | Stockfree Farming
Political advocacy for nature, climate, and food production. Support for farmers to repurpose unproductive farmland for climate and biodiversity, and to use productive farmland for sustainable, plant-based food production. Livestock reduction.
I have a degree in Agriculture from the University of Aberdeen and five years experience in coordinating support for farmers to transition out of livestock agriculture into fairer, more sustainable land management. As a clinical psychotherapist with a specialty in trauma work, I am also interested in the impact on farmer mental health of caring for animals that are going to be killed.
Editorial Assistant | Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
Consultant | Baker Brown Management
PhD Researcher | FixOurFood, The University of York
Future research grants and projects, research focusing on meat and livestock reduction, power dynamics, and the future of the meat and livestock system
Rebecca Lait is a PhD student at the University of York researching how power dynamics shape meat and livestock reduction. After graduating with an undergraduate and master's degree in theoretical physics from the University of Manchester in 2020, Rebecca has worked as a researcher on a range of research, science communication and outreach projects including those focused on calculating and communicating environmental impacts of foods, designing and presenting food and climate workshops in schools and researching barriers to better procurement practices for the Yorkshire public food supply chain. Now, for her PhD research, she is working in the Transforming UK Food System's FixOurFood research group to get to the heart of how power dynamics in the meat and livestock system can be conceptualised and how they can shape meat and livestock reduction.
Food Scientist | Teesside University
Promoting or building sustainable food systems.
I hold a PhD in Food Science and have experience in food innovation and food waste valorisation. I have versatility as my skills span across material science, chemistry, consumer behaviour and systems thinking. I am interested in inter and multidisciplinary collaboration within the agri- and bio-space
Project Development Executive | Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS)
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A dynamic and versatile professional interested in the systems behind food production and consumption, with experience across agriculture, B2B and FMCG sectors. As a Partner in my family's farming enterprises and a team member at SAOS - a co-operative owned by 64 Scottish co-ops, collectively representing 25,000 memberships and £1.5bn in turnover - I specialise in supply chain strategy, project management and agri-innovation. I collaborate with SAOS subsidiaries, co-op members and industry partners locally and internationally, to tackle challenges in technology, data, sustainability and trade, driving growth back to farmer members and across Scotland's agricultural and food sectors.
Doctoral Researcher | Lancaster Environment Centre
Horticulture; agroecological transition; workers; labour issues in horticulture; just transition; worker rights; union organising; agroecology; ecological unionism
My research is concerned with labour issues in agriculture. I focus on the need for 'good food jobs' in the UK context where labour shortages in edible horticulture are significant. This work involves understanding where workers in horticulture fit into 'just transition' frameworks and discourse. In particular, I am concerned with the inequalities around routes into farm work, focusing on the experiences of landless wage labourers. I interrogate how worker's acquire knowledge, organise, contest and make demands across the edible horticulture sector. This involves questioning current conceptualisations of 'farmers' and 'skilled labour' in the context of agri-capitalism and rising far-right ideologies and agendas. My interest in the edible horticulture sector stems outside of academia, and led to me work on several organic market gardens, berry orchards, and commercial farms as well as completing a horticultural apprenticeship. This work has highlighted the importance of 'practical academia' that is informed by farm-centred experiences, and bridges practitioners in farming, advocacy and activism around my research topic. My doctoral research is funded by the North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership and is a Collaborative Studentship. This collaboration involves working with the Landworker's Alliance (LWA), a member-led alliance of farmers and land-based workers and member of La Via Campesina. My PhD research is influenced by several years of organising with the youth branch of LWA, Food, Land Agriculture: a Movement for Equality (FLAME). This project will build an evidence base around ecological unionism, and the role of social movements in building new solidarities within and beyond agroecology, labour power and strategies for horticulture to become more diverse, attractive, and viable to new entrants. I am also a member of the Zetkin Collective which researches global trends in the environmental and climate politics of the global far-right. I co-authored the Collective’s first book titled ‘Black Skin, White Fuel: On the Dangers of Fossil Fascism’ (Verso, 2021) in which I wrote on the environmental politics of far-right groups in Spain, Poland and the UK. Alongside my PhD, I produce a podcast for the Centre for Future Natures which explores human relationships within nature and thinks critically about ownership and enclosure in relation to ecological issues.
Research Fellow | Applied Economist | University of Aberdeen
Consumer demand for healthy and sustainable diet, Food system modelling/mapping, Food security, Food policies
I am a Research Fellow in Food and Agricultural Economics at the Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, UK, and a fellow at the Scottish Environment, Food, and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI). I hold a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Griffith University, Australia, an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics, and a B.Sc. in Export Agriculture (majoring in Agricultural Economics). My research focuses on food and agricultural economics, sustainable food systems, and econometric modeling. I have published in leading international journals, including Economic Modelling, Applied Economics, Agricultural Economics, Economic Analysis and Policy, Empirical Economics, Agriculture and Food Security, and Public Health Nutrition. Additionally, my monograph, Economic Development and Consumption Patterns in Asian Countries (Springer), highlights my commitment to scholarly dissemination. With over seven years of teaching experience at undergraduate and postgraduate levels across Sri Lanka, Australia, and the UK, I have also supervised research students in these regions. My current Scottish Government-funded project models the potential impacts of transitioning toward healthier and more sustainable food production and consumption practices in Scotland and the broader UK. This interdisciplinary work involves collaborations with nutritionists, agricultural scientists, and economists, as well as institutions such as Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), The University of Edinburgh, The James Hutton Institute, DEFRA, FSS and SAOS.
Farmer | R&J Barber Farms
Making a mixed farming enterprise both Net-Zero and Profitable. Focussing on on-farm power generation, growing crops without ammonium nitrate and the role ruminants can play in sustainable agriculture
I farm with family on a mixed system (beef, sheep, cereals, oilseeds) on land which is part-owned and part-rented. My background is in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Environmental Consultant | 3Keel
Regenerative Livestock Farmer
All aspects associated with Regenerative Livestock Farming
Upland farm practising regenerative agriculture for six years. Keen to build evidence to capture all positives and negatives from this style of management.
Research Associate | University of the West of England, Bristol
Household food culture Power, inequality and just transition
Jo Bushell is Research Associate Food Systems at UWE Bristol with over twelve years experience working on UKRI and EU-funded interdisciplinary research projects to advance environmental sustainability and tackle climate change. Jo’s research interests lie at the intersections of migration, food in daily life and social justice. She has a wealth of experience working with diverse community groups and stakeholders, embedding EDI in research projects and using a wide range of qualitative, participatory, arts-based and creative methods. Jo’s current PhD research examines the foodway values and practices of Somali women in their Bristol households and how these contribute to caring for the environment.
