Staff Profile:Dr Andrew Ainslie
- Name:
- Dr Andrew Ainslie
- Job Title:
- Associate Professor
- Responsibilities:
-
Programme Director: MSc Agriculture and Development
Teaching: Module Convenor for
- IDM099: Global Environmental Change, Justice and Development (MSc level, 20 credits)
- APMA103: Rethinking Agricultural (including Horticultural) Development: Implementing Solutions (MSc level, 20 credits)
- AP2ID2: Approaches to Development (Part 2, 20 credits, taught with Prof. Liz Robinson)
- APMA108: Livestock, Livelihoods and Food Security (MSc level, 10 credits, online only distance learning module).
And contribute to teaching on
- IDM095: Theories and Practices of Development
- APMA102: Ecosystem Services
Other Responsibilities:
- Assessor, APD Research Ethics Committee
- Convenor, Monday lunchtime International Development doctoral research seminars
- Academic member, UoR Environmental Management Review Group
- UCU (Union) representative for APD
- Academic member, UoR Online Courses Advisory Group
- MSc dissertation supervisor to 4 to 6 MSc students per year
- Lead on the free, open online course 'Engaging with Controversies in the Food System' see https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/engaging-with-controversies-in-the-food-system/1
- Co-developer of the free, open online course 'Our Hungry Planet'.
Between 2016-2019, I was Co-I on the HyCRISTAL project, which is part of the Future Climate for Africa research programme, a DFID/NERC-funded programme. I engaged in research into adaptation by fishers and farmers in the Lake Victoria Basin in the Central Region, Uganda. See http://www.futureclimateafrica.org/project/hycristal/
I have long-term ethnographic research in land and agrarian change and livestock production in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Research Interests:
- Critical scholarship on international development theory and practice;
- Economic anthropology and contested (inter)cultural interpretations of value;
- System-wide drivers of agrarian change and ecosystem resilience, particularly in East and southern Africa;
- Governance: the role of local/traditional/informal institutions in managing land, livestock and environmental resources;
- Scientific/agricultural/local knowledge systems and interfaces, modes of learning and innovation;
- Food in/security, livelihood analysis and research into inequality and global poverty eradication;
- Drivers of change in the global food system and agricultural commodity/value chains, particularly in relation to global beef production;
- Qualitative research methods, research ethics and interdisciplinarity;
- Technology-enhanced and distance methods of teaching and learning, particularly in the context of the increasingly commoditised HE sector.
Postgraduate supervision:
I am interested to discuss proposals from prospective doctoral students in any of the areas mentioned above, particularly but not exclusively in relation to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Current PhD supervision: (as First supervisor)
- Atenchong Talleh Nkobou, 'Political economy of large-scale land investments and the right to adequate food in Tanzania.' Commonwealth Scholarship recipient. Registered in Oct 2016. (co-supervised with Prof. Rosa Freedman).
- Shahrina Rahman, 'Social Resilience and Adaptation to Climate change: The voice of Disabled people in Bangladesh.' Registered in Oct 2017. (co-supervised with Ruth Evans).
- Anastasia Ngenyi, Understanding participatory approaches to biodiversity conservation in the TRIDOM, Congo Basin forest, Central Africa.' Registered in Oct 2018. (co-supervised with Dr. Jo Davies).
- Chimkanma Wigwe, 'Stakeholders' efforts toward developing artisanal fish farmers' resilience to oil spillage in Rivers State, Nigeria.' Commonwealth Scholarship recipient. Registered in Oct 2018. (co-supervised with Prof. Chittur Srinivasan).
- Zainab Aliyu, 'How effective is the climate justice movement in sub-Saharan Africa?' Registered Oct 2017. Recipient of a Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship in Climate Justice (co-supervised with Dr. Filippo Menga).
- Gilbert Ngwaneh Miki, 'The contribution of the Home-Grown School Feeding Model for food security and poverty alleviation amongst small scale farmers in Malawi'. Commonwealth Scholarship recipient. Registered Sep 2019. (co-supervised with Prof. Eleanor Fisher).
- Catherine Wong, 'On the climate security nexus: Peacebuilding and climate action in climate and security hotspots' (working title). Registered Apr 2019. (co-supervised with Dr. Jo Davies).
(And as Second supervisor):
- Heather Maggs, 'On the subject of donkeys (in China and Ghana).' - with Prof. Richard Bennett.
- Africa Bauza Garcia-Arcicollar, 'Towards Just Climate Futures: Embracing islanders' hopes and aspirations in the context of climate-related migration (in the Maldives).' - with Dr. Alex Arnall.
- Christopher Mweembe, 'Cash Transfers, Social exclusion and Inequality in social protection programmes in Zimbabwe.' - with Prof. Eleanor Fisher.
- Al Hassan Cisse, 'An Evidence-Based Analysis of Synergies between Agricultural Interventions and Social Protection to Address Climate Change Adaptation for Food Security in Senegal.' - With Prof. Eleanor Fisher.
Completed PhD students:
I am interested to discuss proposals with prospective doctoral students in any of the topic areas mentioned above, particularly but not exclusively in relation to sub-Saharan Africa.
- Sam Poskitt, 'Investigating the benefits of Participatory Scenario Planning for tackling social-ecological problems.' (First supervisor, co-supervised with Dr. Kerry Waylen at the James Hutton Institute). Joint ESRC and James Hutton Institute scholarships. Sam graduated in Jul 2018.
- David Enibe, 'Breadfruit and development in south eastern Nigeria' (second supervisor, co-supervision with Peter Dorward). David graduated in Dec 2017.
- Joana vaz da Sousa, 'People-wildlife interactions in Guinea-Bissau.' (second supervisor, co-supervision with Prof. Kate Hill at Oxford Brookes University). Joana graduated in March 2015.
- Areas of Interest:
- Research groups / Centres:
- International Development Department
- Graduate Institute of International Development and Applied Economics
- Reading Centre for Climate and Justice
- Global Development Research Division
- Walker Institute
Key facts:
I trained as a social anthropologist. My specialism is in understanding change in agrarian environments and specifically in livestock systems. I conduct research that is most often at the interface between different knowledge systems. I read for a BSocSc (Honours) with distinction and an MSocSc (both Rhodes University) with distinction, and in 2005 I completed a PhD in Social Anthropology (University College London), having earlier won a Commonwealth Scholarship. In 2012, I completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PCTHE) with distinction from Oxford Brookes University.
Starting in 1994, I have worked as a researcher in a university context, for a parastatal agricultural institution, and for a development NGO. In 2009, I conducted fieldwork research into indigenous veterinary practices in South Africa, taking up an Oppenheimer Visiting Fellowship at the African Studies Centre, Oxford University, to write up this material. In early 2010, I took up a position at the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University, where I worked in the Scenarios Development Team of the CGIAR programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). In 2011, I secured an early career fellowship in 'Environment, Conservation and Development' at Oxford Brookes University (2011-2012). I was appointed as Lecturer in International Rural Development at the University of Reading in January 2013.
I am an Associate Editor (since Sep 2013) of the African Journal of Range and Forage Science. I am a Committee Member of the 'Anthropology and the Environment' Committee of the Royal Anthropological Institute, London. I review papers for a large number of journals, I have reviewed research proposals for ESRC and GCRF, and I have served on Assessment Panels for various research programmes, including the DFID/NERC/ESRC Ecosystems Services and Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme and for the National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa.
- Publications:
-
YNumber of items: 37.
2020
- Ainslie, A. (2020) Harnessing the ancestors: uncertainty and ritual practice in the Eastern Cape. In: Bank, L., Posel, D. and Wilson, F. (eds.) Migrant Labour after Apartheid: The Inside Story. HSRC Press, Pretoria, South Africa, pp. 349-371. ISBN 9780796925794
2019
- Burgin, L., Walker, G., Cornforth, R., Rowell, D., Marsham, J., Semazzi, F., Sabiti, G., Ainslie, A., Araujo, J., Ascott, M., Clegg, D., Clenaghan, A., Lapworth, D., Lwiza, K., Macdonald, D., Petty, C. and Wainwright, C., (2019) Possible futures for rural East Africa under a changing climate: HyCRISTAL climate narrative rural infographic and Brief. Technical Report. Zenodo - CERN Repository doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3257288
2018
- Ainslie, A. (2018) Understanding climate change and the cultural context. The Association of Commonwealth Universities Bulletin (194). pp. 18-20.
- Sousa, J., Ainslie, A. and Hill, C. M. (2018) Sorcery and nature conservation. Environmental Conservation, 45 (1). pp. 90-95. ISSN 1469-4387 doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892917000327
- Acidri, J., Petty, E., Cornforth, R., Clegg, D., Ainslie, A., Walker, G., Talwisa, M. and Clenaghan, A., (2018) Uganda - Synthesising Evidence for Targeted National Responses to Climate Change. Walker Briefing Note (WIBN). 0218/01. Report. Zenodo (CERN), Switzerland. doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3510110
2017
- Ainslie, A. (2017) The contested space that local knowledge occupies: understanding the veterinary knowledges and practices of livestock farmers in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. In: Sillitoe, P. (ed.) Indigenous Knowledge: Enhancing its contribution to natural resources management. CABI, Wallingford, pp. 51-62. ISBN 9781780648118
- Sousa, J., Hill, C. and Ainslie, A. (2017) Chimpanzees, sorcery and contestation in a protected area in Guinea-Bissau. Social Anthropology, 25 (3). pp. 364-379. ISSN 1469-8676 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-8676.12418
- Zizinga, A., Kangalawe, R.Y. M., Ainslie, A., Tenywa, M. M., Majaliwa, J., Saronga, N. J. and Amoako, E. E. (2017) Analysis of farmer’s choices for climate change adaptation practices in South-Western Uganda, 1980–2009. Climate, 5 (4). 89. ISSN 2225-1154 doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/cli5040089
2016
- Araujo, J., Marsham, J., Rowell, D., Nkulumo, Z., Ainslie, A., Clenaghan, A., Cornforth, R., De Giusti, G., Evans, B., Finney, D., Lapworth, D., Macdonald, D., Petty, C., Seaman, J., Semazzi, F. and Way, C., (2016) Africa's climate helping decision-makers make sense of climate information: Burning questions - East African climate variability and change. Future Climate for Africa. Report. Climate Development and Knowledge Network
- Ainslie, A. and Kepe, T. (2016) Understanding the resurgence of traditional authorities in post-apartheid South Africa. Journal of Southern African Studies, 42 (1). pp. 19-33. ISSN 0305-7070 doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03057070.2016.1121714
2014
- Ainslie, A. (2014) Harnessing the ancestors: mutuality, uncertainty and ritual practice in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Africa, 84 (4). pp. 530-552. ISSN 0001-9720 doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0001972014000448
2013
- Brown, K., Ainslie, A. and Beinart, W. (2013) Animal disease and the limits of local knowledge: dealing with ticks and tick-borne diseases in South Africa. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 19 (2). pp. 319-337. ISSN 1359-0987 doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.12035
- Chaudhury, M., Vervoort, J., Kristjanson, P., Ericksen, P. and Ainslie, A. (2013) Participatory scenarios as a tool to link science and policy on food security under climate change in East Africa. Regional Environmental Change, 13 (2). pp. 389-398. ISSN 1436-378X doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-012-0350-1
- Bennett, J., Ainslie, A. and Davis, J. (2013) Contested institutions? Traditional leaders and land access and control in communal areas of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Land Use Policy, 32. pp. 27-38. ISSN 0264-8377 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2012.10.011
- Ainslie, A. (2013) The sociocultural contexts and meanings associated with livestock keeping in rural South Africa. African Journal of Range and Forage Science, 30 (1&2). pp. 35-38. ISSN 1727-9380 doi: https://doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2013.770066 (special Issue 'Aligning policy with the socio-ecological dynamics of rangeland commons)
2012
- Vermeulen, S. J., Aggarwal, P. K., Ainslie, A., Angelone, C., Campbell, B.M., Challinor, A.J., Hansen, J.W., Ingram, J.S.I., Jarvis, A., Kristjanson, P., Lau, C., Nelson, G.C., Thornton, P.K. and Wollenberg, E. (2012) Options for support to agriculture and food security under climate change. Environmental Science and Policy, 15 (1). pp. 136-144. ISSN 1873-6416 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2011.09.003
2010
- Bennett, J., Ainslie, A. and Davis, J. (2010) Fenced in: Common property struggles in the management of communal rangelands in central Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Land Use Policy, 27 (2). pp. 340-350. ISSN 0264-8377 doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2009.04.006
- Shackleton, C., Shackleton, S. E., Gambiza, J., Nel, E., Rowntree, K., Urquhart, P., Fabricius, C. and Ainslie, A. (2010) Livelihoods and Vulnerability in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Southern Africa: Exploring the links between ecosystem services and poverty alleviation. Hunger and Poverty Causes, Impacts and Eradication. Nova Publishers, New York, pp267. ISBN 9781608769407
2008
- Davis, J. K. , Ainslie, A. and Finca, A. (2008) Coming to grips with 'abandoned arable' land in efforts to enhance communal grazing systems in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. African Journal of Range and Forage Science, 25 (2). pp. 55-61. ISSN 1727-9380
2007
- Ainslie, A. and Hassan, A., (2007) DFID research strategy (2008-2013) consultations in South Africa. Report. Department for International Development pp52.
- Palmer, A.R. and Ainslie, A. (2007) Using rain-use efficiency to explore livestock production trends in rangelands in the Transkei, South Africa. African Journal of Range and Forage Science, 24 (1). pp. 43-50. ISSN 1727-9380
2006
- Palmer, A.R. and Ainslie, A. (2006) Arid rangeland production systems of Southern Africa. Secheresse, 17 (1&2). pp. 98-104. ISSN 1777-5922
- Palmer, A., Kakembo, V., Lloyd, W. and Ainslie, A., Wilson, S., ed. (2006) Degradation patterns and trends in the succulent thicket. Technical Report. Centre for African Conservation Ecology, South Africa. (Proceedings of the 2004 Thicket Forum)
- Palmer, A. R. and Ainslie, A. (2006) Grasslands of South Africa. In: Suttie, J. M., Reynolds, S. G. and Batello, C. (eds.) Grasslands of the World. Plant production and protection series (34). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, pp. 77-120. ISBN 9251053375 (Chapter 3)
- Ntsebeza, L., Wotshela, L., Kepe, T., Matoti, S. and Ainslie, A. (2006) Resistance and repression in the Bantustan areas: Transkei and Ciskei. In: The Road to Democracy in South Africa. The Road to Democracy, 2. South African Democracy Education Trust, Johannesburg. ISBN 9781868884063
- Ainslie, A., Wilson, S., ed. (2006) What's different now? Working with post-2000 local municipalities to manage change. Technical Report. Centre for African Conservation Ecology, South Africa. (Proceedings of the 2004 Thicket Forum)
2005
- Ainslie, A. (2005) Farming cattle, cultivating relationships: cattle ownership and cultural politics in Peddie District, Eastern Cape. Social Dynamics - A Journal of African Studies, 31 (1). pp. 129-156. ISSN 0253-3952 doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02533950508628699
2003
- Andrew, M., Ainslie, A. and Shackleton, C., (2003) Land use and Livelihoods. Evaluating land and agrarian reform in South Africa. 8. Report. Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, Cape Town, South Africa. pp42. ISBN 1868085864
- Ainslie, A. (2003) When 'community' is not enough: managing common property natural resources in rural South Africa. In: Larson, B. (ed.) Property Rights and Environmental Problems. International Library of Environmental Economics and Policy, 2. Ashgate, Aldershot. ISBN 9780754622451
- Allsopp, N., Ainslie, A., Laurent, C. and Debeaudoin, L. (2003) What kinds of knowledge will improve the prospects for successful interventions in communal rangeland systems in South Africa? In: Allsopp, N., Palmer, A. R., Milton, K. P., Kerley, G. I. H., Hurt, C. R. and Brown, C. J. (eds.) Proceedings of the VIIth International Rangeland Congress. Grassland Society of Southern Africa, Durban, South Africa, pp. 1820-1823. ISBN 0958453489
2002
- Ainslie, A., ed. (2002) Cattle ownership and production in the communal areas of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies Research report. 10. Report. Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, Bellville, Cape Town. pp138. ISBN 868085295
1999
- Ainslie, A. (1999) When 'community' is not enough: managing common property natural resources in rural South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 16 (3). pp. 375-401. ISSN 0376-835X doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03768359908440087
1998
- Ainslie, A., Palmer, A. R., Hurt, C. R. and Swart, D. (1998) Communal rangeland dynamics: towards a multi-disciplinary research agenda. In: de Bruyn, T. D. and Scogings, P. F. (eds.) Communal Rangelands in Southern Africa: A Synthesis of Knowledge. Department of Livestock & Pasture Science, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa, pp. 38-50.
1997
- Monde-Gweleta, N. N., Van Averbeke, W., Ainslie, A., Ntshona, Z. M., Fraser, G. C. G. and Belete, A. (1997) Agriculture and rural livelihood in northwest Peddie District. Agrekon, 36 (4). pp. 616-625. ISSN 0303-1853 doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.1997.9523489
1996
- Ainslie, A., Cinderby, S., Kepe, T., Petse, T. and Bradley, P. N., (1996) Rural livelihoods and local level natural resource management in Peddie District. Working Paper. Land and Agriculture Policy Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
1995
- Ainslie, A., Fox, R. and Fabricius, C., (1995) Towards policies for feasible and sustainable nature resource use: the mid-fish river zonal study, Eastern Cape. Working Paper. Land and Agriculture Policy Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
1994
- Ainslie, A., (1994) We are all friends here: the social dynamics of a development project. Working Paper. Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.