Dr Caroline Nye

Caroline Nye is a Senior Research Fellow and rural social scientist based at the Centre for Rural Policy Research (CRPR), University of Exeter. Her interdisciplinary research draws on sociology, anthropology and human geography to explore the social dimensions of agriculture, rural communities and environmental change, with a strong applied focus on real-world impact. 

Caroline’s research focuses on several interconnected areas: climate adaptation and capacity development, particularly in Latin America; mental health, wellbeing and resilience in farming communities; agricultural labour and careers; and farmer collaboration and participation in agri-environment schemes. She has developed an extensive body of work examining the challenges facing the UK agricultural workforce, including recruitment, skills, career pathways and the changing relationships between farmers, farm workers and the wider agricultural industry and policy environment. Her research has contributed to policy discussions on agricultural labour and rural wellbeing, and has informed understanding of the social and economic challenges facing the sector. She has worked extensively with UK government departments, evaluating such schemes as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the Future Farming Resilience Fund, and Integrated Pest Management.

More recently, Caroline’s work has increasingly focused on mental health and wellbeing in farming and rural communities, exploring the role of social relationships, community networks and informal support in building resilience. She also investigates how farmers engage with environmental initiatives and how collaborative approaches can support nature recovery and more sustainable agricultural practices. In addition, Caroline is interested in methodological appraoches to research, debating the role of the 'good researcher' in her academic papers, as well as trialling participatory means of research engagement as lead acadamic on a work package for the Health and Wellbeing of Women in Farming project.

Caroline’s research extends internationally. Through her work with the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), she has contributed to research on capacity development and climate change adaptation in Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, leading a two year project across four distinct work packages to determine 'what works' in relation to capacity development and climate actions. Her earlier international research examined the livelihoods and welfare of communities dependent on working equines in India and Nepal, as well as investigating the social drivers of antimicrobial stewardship.

Across her work, Caroline is committed to producing research that has practical relevance and makes a positive contribution to policy and practice. She champions collaborative, interdisciplinary and participant-centred approaches, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that the experiences and perspectives of the people involved in research are represented in its findings and outputs. Her publications span academic journals, policy reports and public-facing commentary, and she regularly contributes her expertise to government, professional and media discussions.

Caroline welcomes opportunities to collaborate across disciplines and organisations to address the social challenges facing agriculture and rural communities, strengthen community resilience and support more inclusive and sustainable futures.

Biography:

Caroline Nye completed her PhD in rural sociology/politics at the Univeristy of Exeter in 2017. Her thesis focussed on agricultural labour in the UK, contributing an original analysis of the composition of contemporary labour in the South West of England, as well as examining social, attitudinal, and behavioural changes that have arisen from transformations in the agricultural labour situation over the last fifty years.

Caroline holds an MA (Hons) in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh and a Diploma in International Development from the University of London/London School of Economics, with a focus on environment. She has also spent several years working further afield on international development projects and in industry in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Caroline speaks fluent Spanish.