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About my Research

My current research is about English environmental payment schemes (ELMS, private nature markets) for farmers and farm cluster groups.

 

From my research I would like to gain experience in interdisciplinary work between agricultural and environmental research groups. I believe that more research in this sector can improve the likelihoods of success for climate change mitigation, food security and biodiversity!


Read about my projects below and feel free to get in contact to discuss my work.

October 2023 - Present.
PhD: Navigating emerging markets for Ecosystem Services to deliver for nature

My PhD uses social science and GIS to explore the transition of Agriculture in England from basic area based payments to being paid for ecosystem services. My research has found how collaboration between farmers in the form of "Farm Cluster Groups" can enhance ecosystem service delivery as well as providing significant social benefits to farmers. My work has also uncovered the impact of integrity, scheme design and policy uncertainty on uptake of ELMs and Private Nature Markets.

Research Chapter 1: Learning from the past and embracing future opportunities: Perceptions of new Environmental Land Management Schemes and private nature markets

The combination of Brexit and UK government targets, e.g., to address climate change and biodiversity loss, has accelerated the development of new Agri- environmental Scheme (AES), the Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS). To improve ELMS design and implementation, it is timely to understand farmers’ and farm advisers’ views on these schemes, including their design, rollout and fit with pre-existing and new nature markets, e.g., carbon, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). Previous research has assessed AES for their attractiveness to farmers and effectiveness. This study examines new challenges associated with the increasing role of the private sector in funding nature recovery on farms, expected increased levels of participation and an increased requirement for collaboration to deliver landscape-scale nature recovery. To understand how this new policy landscape is perceived by the agricultural sector, 18 interviews were conducted with farmers and advisors (farmer advisors and nature market experts). Findings show that perceptions are shaped by previous involvement with AES (e.g., payment rates, participation costs, inflexibility) which although largely negative, highlight areas for better scheme design. New insights on farmer participation emphasise the roles of policy uncertainty, market integrity concerns, and collaboration, including with non-farmers, e.g., conservation organisations, water companies. Slow policy release was stressed as a key reason for low adoption and underscores the importance of aligning AES incentives with policy objectives. Furthermore, participants raised a need for cross market compatibility, compliance flexibility and fundamental questions about achieving carbon neutrality as a prerequisite for carbon market participation. On the positive side, par ticipants agreed that new schemes/markets are breaking down social barriers through the necessity to work with a wider group of stakeholders and have been a driver for increasing interest in farm clusters

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August 2022- August 2023.
Research Assistant: The consequences of forgone production for nature-based climate solutions

Research assistant for the Cambridge Centre for Carbon Credits. This is a year long research project, in which I am investigating the livelihood and agricultural production impacts of REDD+ projects. The aim of this research is to improve existing methodology, and to help conservation projects work with farmers in project design.

Kate Dewally

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