With the many challenges facing agri-food systems and society as a whole, innovation is needed more than ever. Addressing climate change, land and water degradation, loss of biodiversity and food insecurity and injustice, calls for a transformation in agriculture. Researchers are re-thinking the role of innovation in this transformation and asking: what is innovation, who innovates and why, in what direction should it go, and how can it be supported and achieved at scale?
Julie will unpack these questions, showing that the way we think about innovation has evolved in response to calls for more sustainable agriculture, and in recognition that innovation is a social as well as a technical process. She will reflect on how this shift mirrors her own career and research interests. The different perspectives used to understand, not only how farmers innovate or adopt innovations, but also the role of the systems (policies, supply chains etc) in which they operate, will be explored.
Drawing on examples from her research career in the UK, Europe and international contexts, Julie will show how different people and communities are actively innovating and creating new directions for the future of agriculture, for example, net-zero agriculture, carbon farming, nature-friendly farming, precision agriculture, smart farming, agroecology, regenerative agriculture, conservation agriculture and climate smart agriculture.
The lecture takes place at Park campus and is free to attend. We request those wishing to come to visit Eventbrite to find out more and register your free place.
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