Internal

Exploring the potential for agri-tech to contribute to the environmental sustainability of farming systems

This project will explore the potential for farmers to use the latest agriculture technologies to improve the environmental sustainability of their farming system. This will be done through desk-based literature searches and farmer interviews.

Department: Sustainable Land Management

Supervised by: Alice Mauchline

The Placement Project

Innovative precision technologies can support farmers in growing more food on the same amount of land whilst using fewer resources and having less impact on the environment. However, not many studies have examined this link directly and at the moment it is mainly an assumption that the use of precision technologies can lead to reduced environmental impact based on the fact that using fewer inputs is considered to be environmentally beneficial. This project will involve searching the published and grey literature to find studies and reports that explicitly test the environmental impacts of precision technologies. There will also be the opportunity to interview/survey a range of farmers (involved in current EU-funded research projects; SHOWCASE and ENVISION) about how their use of precision technologies has led to any changes in their farm management practices.

Tasks

Online literature review Online/telephone interviews with farmers And/or an online survey of farmers Synthesis of current evidence for environmental impacts of adoption of precision technologies

Skills, knowledge and experience required

Critical thinking, ability to work independently, interest in farming systems and environmental sustainability of food production, interest in the use of innovative technologies, ability to review and synthesis evidence, good communication skills.

Skills which will be developed during the placement

The student will be able to develop their research and analytical skills. There will be the opportunity to work with colleagues on two large, EU-funded research projects (ENVISION and SHOWCASE). This research infrastructure will provide access to farmers for the research and an empirical framework for the investigation into the use of technologies to support environmentally sustainable farming systems.

Place of Work

SAPD

Hours of Work

Flexible (between 9-5 mon-fri)

Approximate Start and End Dates (not fixed)

Monday 21 June 2021 - Saturday 31 July 2021

How to Apply

The post will be advertised centrally on the UROP website between 22nd February and 9th April 2021. Students should submit their CV and Cover Letter directly to the Project Supervisor (click on supervisor name at the top of the page for email). Successful candidates will be invited for an interview.


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