Mrs 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 areas relating to the social dimension of farming's - and farmers' - relationship with wider (nonfarming) publics.

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.

Other information:

Member of Exeter Food Network, Exeter University

Member of the European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS)