How are farmers adapting to climate change in North East England?

We are pleased to invite UK, EU and international applications for a fully-funded PhD studentship in How are farmers adapting to climate change in North East England? from Teesside University International Business School.

Project description

Land use decisions are particularly sensitive to weather conditions, and many land managers have reported issues in interpreting and responding to current patterns of climatic variability and associated trends and these issues are expected to increase further due to future climate change. The land use sector also has an obligation to contribute to ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, in climate change policy terms, land managers need to meet requirements for emissions reduction (mitigation) whilst also adjusting to and becoming more resilient to shifts in actual climate patterns (adaptation). Although some previous research has been conducted on uptake of climate mitigation schemes, and general theories of adaptation are available, information on the perceptions of land managers regarding actual climate change together with their associated adaptation responses is very limited.

The project aims to understand:

• farmers’ perception on the relation between weather changes and climate change
• local and regional differences in farmers’ adaptation to climate change.

Potential data collection methods include farmers’ questionnaire, semi-structured interviews with land managers and participatory workshops with agricultural-related stakeholders.

Potential partners include Tees Valley Nature Partnership, Defra, Natural England.

The supervisor is Professor Diana Feliciano

Entry requirements

You should hold or expect to obtain a good honours degree (2:1 or above) in a relevant discipline. A master’s level qualification in a relevant discipline is desirable, but not essential, as well as a demonstrable understanding of the research area.

International applicants should have a standard of English at IELTS 6.5 minimum and will be subject to the standard entry criteria relating to ATAS clearance and, when relevant, UK visa requirements and procedures.

How to apply

Application is online.

Key dates

• Closing date for applications is 5.00pm, 1 February 2023.
• Shortlisting and online interviews are expected to be held mid-March 2023.
• Successful applicants will be expected to start May or October 2023.