Charlotte Chivers was recently invited to participate in a prestigious Rank Prize symposium on how agriculture can contribute to the UK’s net zero agenda. The event included talks from several disciplines, from on-farm trials and climate change scenarios to plant breeding and genetics. During her talk, Charlotte drew on several examples of research carried out within the CCRI to demonstrate the importance of embedding social science throughout research processes, including during problem framing. This is crucial due to the inherently social nature of net zero, which demands behaviour change and knowledge exchange across the entire supply chain. This talk appeared to resonate strongly with delegates, indicating that there is a continued need to explore ways of working effectively across different disciplines.
The symposium offered a fantastic networking opportunity for early-career researchers by providing space to engage with reputable senior academics, policymakers and senior scientists from Defra, farmers, and representatives from on-farm trials, including during a hiking excursion around Ullswater.
