Project 17 - Reducing chemical pollution through future farming systems: Understanding consumers' responses to underutilized crops and implications for the environment. (Eleanor Jew, University of York)

About the project

About the Project Are you passionate about solving complex environmental challenges? Interested in creating non-toxic environments that benefit society and nature alike? This innovative and exciting PhD project, co-designed with non-academic partners, is part of the NERC-funded ECOSOLUTIONS Doctoral Focal Award, and offers the opportunity to address real world challenges with key opinion-formers to help support sustainable chemical development and create non-toxic urban & rural landscapes. Project details: Climate change is creating challenging conditions for UK farming systems, prompting farmers to transition to alternative or currently underutilised crops (e.g. chickpeas and soy) and altering livestock management. These strategies could have positive or negative implications for chemical pollution of the environment, from changes in pesticide and fertiliser application to veterinary medicines and supplement use. However, whether farmers will grow alternative crops, and which ones, will be influenced not only by feasibility, but also by whether consumers will buy them. These choices may incur both local and system level challenges and tradeoffs. This PhD will explore how consumers think about potential changes to diet to accommodate alternative crops, including factors and strategies that might drive uptake. It will assess the implications of these changes on chemical pollution and the broader agricultural system. A scoping review will assess current knowledge and understanding of consumer food choices related to underutilised crops, certification schemes and premium quality goods. Focus groups and interviews will seek to understand how consumer behaviour and choices may change, coupled with workshops with farmers, retailers, and caterers to understand how these consumer choices may affect their future decisions. These insights will be combined with agronomy and environmental science to model (e.g. using ECOMIX project data) the potential impact on chemical pollution and other environmental outcomes of different future farming systems. Finally, the PhD will consider strategies for shaping consumer choices including policy such as certification schemes, premium prices and regulation; and roles of social media, education, and green nudges. The ECOSOLUTIONS DFA Led by the Universities of Sheffield and York and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, ECOSOLUTIONS is a cutting-edge, transdisciplinary initiative. This innovative programme combines science, policy, and societal engagement to transform chemicals policy and management, enabling a safe, sustainable chemicals sector and non-toxic environments. This project is one of 19 projects that are available for the third ECOSOLUTIONS and final cohort who will work together to begin to understand and solve the problems of sustainable chemical design and use, as well tackling the problems that pollution causes in urban environments, rural landscapes and food systems. What You will Gain As an ECOSOLUTIONS PhD student, you will work with world-leading experts across diverse fields such as ecology, data science, digital solutions, chemistry, geography, psychology, environmental engineering, policy, and law. You will learn to tackle the risks posed by chemicals while enabling their societal benefits, adopting a whole-systems and solutions-focused approach. You will receive 3 years and 9 months of funding and take part in a dynamic training and development programme, including: Induction course: Connect with fellow students, supervisors, and the ECOSOLUTIONS team while exploring the programme’s mission. Primer course: Gain foundational knowledge on the environmental risks that chemicals pose, policy landscapes, and sustainable chemical innovation. Transferable skills workshops: Master data management, big data methods, research practices, communication, stakeholder engagement and more. Systems-solutions workshops: Collaborate across disciplines to explore sustainable chemical design and development, address pollution in urban & rural landscapes, and develop actionable solutions. Three-month secondment: Defra International conferences: Share your findings and network with global experts. The skills you will need To do this project you will need the following essential skills: Data analysis and/or modelling Social science methodologies Experience working with external stakeholders An interest in agricultural systems Eligibility : To be considered for the ECOSOLUTIONS DFA, you will need at least an upper 2nd class honours degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline. As a collaboration of international research-led universities, we welcome students from all walks of life and from across the world. Within our programme, we are dedicated to diversifying our community. As part of our ongoing work to improve Equality, Diversity and Inclusion we strongly encourage applications from UK/Home candidates from identified underrepresented groups: Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, those from a disadvantaged socio-economic background, and disabled people. Start Your Research Career with ECOSOLUTIONS: This PhD is part of the ECOSOLUTIONS Doctoral Focal Award (DFA), a prestigious NERC-funded program dedicated to training the next generation of environmental practitioners. For more details and a full list of other PhD projects under this programme, visit: https://ecosolutions.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/ Application Web Page: For more information on how to apply, please visit the ECOSOLUTIONS website: https://ecosolutions.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/ Project specific enquiries: Dr Eleanor Jew, eleanor.jew@york.ac.uk

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