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Prof Andrew Barnes

Professor of Rural Resource Economics
Leader in Innovation and Behavioural Change
Head of Rural Economy, Environment and Society Department

Programme Leader:Bsc(Hons) Agricultural Economics

Research interests 

My research interest focuses on capturing the impacts of policy change and farmer behaviour at the farm and catchment level. Work has been conducted on a variety of topics within this area, particularly in terms of understanding attitudes, motivations and perceptions of farmers toward environmental issues and uptake of new technologies. Whereas some of this work encompasses qualitative methods, such as citizen's juries, the main thrust has been towards quantitative modelling. This includes traditional linear programming based methods, but also applications using positive mathematical programming and agent-based modelling frameworks.

Another strong thread to my research is the measurement of efficiency and sustainability metrics using longitudinal data, and I have adjusted productivity indicators for non-economic factors, such as animal welfare and environmental impact. In addition to this, I have conducted a number of evaluations for Government agencies. These include the public funding of agricultural R&D, food chain productivity and changes to the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone action plans within Scotland.

I have a growing portfolio of work on uptake of precision agriculture within farmers across Europe and work in Sub-Sahrahan Africa to understand uptake of technologies across a variety of farming systems.

Selected research projects

  • British Academy of Medical Sciences (2017-2018).  Managing risk through integrated farm management, diversification strategies and education in Guinea Bissau
  • European Commission. Horizon 2020 (2018-2028).   Low Input Farming and Territories (LIFT).  WP Leader – Uptake of agro-ecological practice in the supply chain.
  • BBSRC Newton-Caldas Sustainable Tropical Agricultural Systems programme (2018-2019).  Bean breeding and adoption in changing climates in post-conflict Colombia.
  • BBSRC Newton-Caldas Sustainable Tropical Agricultural Systems programme (2018-2019).  Towards BIO-smart livestock farming in Colombia: cultural landscapes, silvo-pastoral systems and biodiversity.
  • BBSRC Newton-Caldas Sustainable Tropical Agricultural Systems programme (2018-2019).  Physiological characterization of heat-tolerant bean genotypes in simulated future environments.
  • BBSRC Food Systems Resiliance 2 (2017-2020).  The role of livestock in food system resilience in remote, upland regions. (ReSULTS) (CO-I, lead University of Edinburgh)
  • European Commission. Horizon 2020 (2017-2021).   Redesigning European cropping systems based on species MIXtures (REMIX).  
  • European Commission. Horizon 2020 (2017-2021).   TRansition paths to sUstainable legume-based systems in Europe (TRUE).
  • Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme (2016-2021).  Work Package Leader Economic Resilience
  • Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme (2016-2021).  Work Package Leader Uptake of Best Practice
  • EU Joint Research Centre (2016-2017).  The Uptake of Precision Agriculture Technologies to farm productivity and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • NERC SARIC (2016-2019). Advanced technologies for efficient crop production: a participatory approach with application to farm scale
  • NERC SARIC (2016-2019) Delivering a decision-support framework - soilquality.org.uk
  • Intellectual Property Office (2015).  The effect of patents on the innovation dynamics of the UK plant breeding sector.
  • Defra (2014) .  A Rapid Evidence Assessment of farmer compensation schemes on Animal Disease reporting behaviour
  • Defra (2014) .  An economic evaluation framework for Crop and Horticulture R&D Projects
  • EU (2012-2015).  FACCE JPI Knowledge Hub on Climate change risk assessment for European agriculture and food security (MACSUR), EU & BBSRC

PhD students

  • Sam Beechener (2013-2017)
    Co-learning and co-innovation to achieve impact in research: informing technology transfer in Scotland and New Zealand (Joint with AgResearch, New Zealand)
  • Amar Daxini (2014-2018)
    Farmer decision making in relation to nutrient management (Joint with Teagasc)
  • Conor Carty (2012-2015)
    Perceptions towards sustainable intensification
  • Corinne Baulcomb (2014-2020pt) Modelling Complex social systems in the context of coastal ecosystem services & resourse management. 
  • Edna Can (2016-2020)
    Innovation and uptake for beef farmers (Joint with University of Nottingham).
  • Gina Foreman (2016-2019). Farmer Wealth, Welfare and Wellbeing.
  • Tarirai Muoni (2016-2019) Multipurpose legumes in intigrated crop-livestock systems in East Africa: Farmer's preferences and decision making.
  • Joana Ferreira (2017 -2021 pt). Arthropod conservation in agricultural landscapes.

Selected publications

  • Thompson, B., Toma, L.. Barnes, A.P., Revoredo-Giha. C. (2018). The Effect of Date Labels on Willingness to Consume Dairy Products: Implications for Food Waste Reduction.  Waste Management (forthcoming).
  • McGechan, M.B.. Barnes, A.P., Fyuchan. R., Marley, C.M. (2017)., A simulation modelling study of water pollution caused by outwintering of cows.  Computers and Electronics in Agriculture,142,  pp 397-405.
  • Balafoutis, A. Beck B., Fountas, S.,Vangeyte, J., van der Wal, T., Soto-Embodas, I., Gómez-Barbero, M., Barnes A.P., Eory, V. (2017).  Precision Agriculture Technologies positively contributing to GHG emissions mitigation, farm productivity and economics.  Sustainability 9(8), 1339
  • Sutherland, L-A, Hopkins, J., Toma, L.,  Barnes, A.P. and Mathews, K.  (2017). Adaptation, Resilience and CAP reform: A comparison of crofts and livestock farms in Scotland. Scottish Geographic Journal Volume 133, Issue 3-4, pp  192-213
  • Wilkes, A.,  Barnes,A.P., Baival,B. et al., (2017).  Is cross-breeding with indigenous sheep breeds an option for climate-smart agriculture?.  Small Ruminant Research (forthcoming)
  • Rees, R.M, Barnes., A.P. and Moran, D. (2017).  Sustainable intensification: the pathway to low carbon farming?  Regional Environmental Change, Vol., 1-3.
  • Garcia De Jalon, S., Silvestri, S. and Barnes, A,P, (2017).  The potential for adoption of climate smart agricultural practices in Sub-Saharan livestock systems. Regional Environmental Change 17, 399-410
  • Barnes, A.P., Guillam, E. and Murray-Rust, D.  Scaling up and out: Agent-based modelling to include farmer regimes.  In Shrestha, S.S., Barnes, A.P. and Vosburgh-Ahmadi, B. (2016).  (eds).  Farm Level Modelling: Techniques, Applications and Policy.  CABI, Oxford, pp. 147-155
  • Guimaraes-Ferria, J., Abbot, P., and Barnes, A.P. Catchment level modelling.  .  In Shrestha, S.S., Barnes, A.P. and Vosburgh-Ahmadi, B. (2016).  (eds).  Farm Level Modelling: Techniques, Applications and Policy.  CABI, Oxford, pp. 156-172.
  • Allanson, P., Kaspereck, K., Barnes, A.P. (2017). Income mobility and income inequality in Scottish agriculture. Journal of Agricultural Economics (forthcoming)
  • Garcia De Jalon, S., Inglesias, A., Barnes, A.P. (2016). Adoption of farm-level adaptation in Africa: a review of recent research and an adoption index.  Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change (21(5), 779–798.
  • L. Toma, A.P. Barnes, L-A. Sutherland, S. Thomson, F. Burnett, K. Mathews (2016). Impact of information transfer on farmers’ uptake of innovative crop technologies. A structural equation model applied to survey data. Journal of Technology Transfer (forthcoming).
     

See all of Dr Andrew Barnes' publications

The Socio-Economics of Precision Agricultural Technologies (PATs)

Prof Andrew Barnes

Team Leader - Behavioural Change & Innovation

Address: Land Economy, Environment & Society, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Peter Wilson Building, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG.

Telephone: 0131 535 4042

E-mail: andrew.barnes@sruc.ac.uk