Dr Catherine Broomfield

I am a social scientist and Research Associate at the Centre for Rural Policy Research (CRPR), University of Exeter. My research focuses on the social dimensions of farming, in particular farmer-nonfarmer relationships in relation to farmers wellbeing and social licence to farm. A developing research interest is agricultural land occupancy, in particular understanding the complexity of formal and informal tenure arrangements and their implications for agricultural transition and climate change. 

Biography:

I completed an MSc Food Policy (Distinction) City, University of London (2020) before undertaking my PhD at Centre for Rural Policy Research (2020-2023). My thesis 'Towards a social licence to farm: an Aristotelian approach to farmers' engagement with nonfarming people' explored beef and sheep farmers' purpose and practice of engagement with nonfarming people using an original theoretically-informed conceptual framework which drew on social licence to operate theory, aspects of communication theories and Aristotelian moral philosophy. The qualitative study used a combination of in-depth interviews and a participative polyphonic workshop involving farming and nonfarming people, to understand the extent to which farmers' engagement practices were conducive to co-creating their social licences to farm and ways forward at the farmer and industry level to develop practice towards that goal.

I aim to deliver relevant, impactful research by prioritising a transdisciplinary, participatory research approach in collaboration with policy, industry and community-based actors.

As part of developing my skillset in participative research methods, I completed the Rural Link/FWAG Rural Facilitator Training (2024).

Before turning to academic study, I farmed cattle and sheep in an organic nature-friendly farming system for 15 years. I am interested in all things food and farming, a lover of cows, especially Red Ruby Devons.

Professional affiliations:

Exeter Food research network, University of Exeter.

European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS)

The Royal Geographic Society

The Institute of Agriculture