Background - There is now a widely accepted knowledge gap in Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)-based methodologies, and specifically their capacity to inform the paths which best accommodate the transformation of agricultural and food systems. While LCA provides robust environmental-impact metrics, it has failed to account for the delivery of complex ecosystem services (ESs), usually using proxies such as ‘land forgone’ as a substitute. One powerful way to develop sensitive metrics to address this gap is to use a comprehensive longitudinal field-level data-set that includes a wide range of attributes from soil qualities and insect diversity, to economic and nutritional provisions, such as those shown by gross margins and yield qualities. To date this has not been done. This PhD proposal aims to exploit a unique and extensive dataset comprising ESs in the form of a suite of 300 system-function indicators including economic and yield data. The dataset has been gathered over the past 13 years at the James Hutton Institute’s long-term experimental farm-scale platform, the Centre for Sustainable Cropping (CSC). This unique suite of indicators allows comparative analysis of ‘conventional’ and ‘sustainable’ crop-rotation/agronomy cycles. It will use legume crops as a case-study.
Aims & Objectives - This CSC-ES dataset will be exploited to extend the utility of conventional LCA, from environmental-only impact assessments to more holistic assessment also accounting for complex ESs, including biodiversity and soil-function attributes, as well as socio-economic indicators such as nutritional provisions and gross margins. This PhD aims to augment current LCA methods beyond the current product environmental foot-printing by aligning them with a parallel ’metric framework’ – first discerning a suite of critical ‘indicator ESs’ at farm (and hopefully also value chain) level. The novel methodology therefore extends existing LCA metrics to benchmark sustainability and resilience factors (sustainable development indicators) that may more accurately define the potential of (arable) cropped systems. The LCA-ES approach aims to allow a more-holistic and whole-system assessment of sustainable cropping (and value chain) approaches, presenting insight to help nudge value-chain stakeholders' behaviour towards adoption of approaches that allow more successful adaptation to environmental and market stresses.
Desired Candidate - While excellent candidates are sought for this position, and experience in Life Cycle Analysis is desirable, this is not essential (LCA/modelling-training will be acquired once in-post). The main requirement is that the candidate possess a strong interest in environmental-monitoring and -accounting - i.e. of environmental impacts, and ecosystem-services/-functions, especially in/of agri-food systems (farm-to-fork). Also, and therefore, that the candidate is keen develop advanced data-handling skills.
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