Centre for Rural Policy Research

Projects

Re-establishing the Rural Economy and Society Study Group

In response to Michael Winter’s distinguished lecture (December 2025), the Centre for Rural Policy Research is looking to re-invigorate cross-institutional and multi-disciplinary intellectual exchange on ‘big picture’ thinking in rural and agrarian research in the UK.
Register your interest.

Assessing the Mental Health Benefits of Walking the South West Coast Path

Matt Lobley

^{Natural England | 2022 - 2022}

Production of comprehensive labour market information for the agricultural and horticultural sectors

Matt Lobley

^{TIAH | 2022 - 2022}

Future Farming Resilience Fund Interim Phase Evaluation

Matt Lobley

^{DEFRA (via Ipsos MORI) | 2021 - 2022}

Understanding Public Food Procurement in the HotSW region

Matt Lobley

^{Devon County Council | 2021 - 2022}

Overcoming the Knowledge to Action Gap

Matt Lobley

^{Forest Research | 2021 - 2023}

Farming resilience: civil society's role in supporting vulnerable rural communities through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

Matt Lobley

^{ESRC UKRI Covid Rapid Response | 2021 - 2022}

Agricultural Wellbeing

Matt Lobley

^{Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) | 2020 - 2021}

A Helping Hand. Alternative sources of agricultural labour for farms in the U.K.

Matt Lobley

^{The Worshipful Company of Farmers and the John Oldacre Foundation | 2020 - 2021}

Loneliness, social isolation and mental health in farming communities: An analysis of social and cultural factors

Matt Lobley

^{Loneliness and Social Isolation in Mental Health Network (funded by UKRI) | 2020 - 2021}

Rural isolation and COVID-19: Faith, worship and social contact

Matt Lobley

^{ARC (Arthur Rank Centre) | 2020 - 2020}

Food System Impacts of COVID-19

Michael Winter

^{UKRI - ESRC | 2020 - 2021}

From â€˜Feed The Birdsâ€™ to â€˜Do Not Feed the Animalsâ€™? (DNFTA)

Angela Cassidy

^{Wellcome | 2020 - 2024}

Collaboration and Incentives Commission â€“ Exploring the effectiveness of collaborative mechanisms, incentives and alternative approaches for delivering environmental outcomes at large spatial scales through ELM

Matt Lobley

^{Defra | 2020 - 2021}

The Princeâ€™s Countryside Fund: Livestock Auction Marts Research Project

Michael Winter

^{The Prince's Countryside Fund and the John Oldacre Foundation Endowment | 2019 - 2020}

BCHT: Bio-Cultural Heritage Tourism

Michael Winter

^{European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) | 2018 - 2021}

Demonstration test catchment Project - LM0304 (Phase 2 - Extension)

Michael Winter

^{DEFRA | 2017 - 2017}

NFU Mutual Farm and Rural Succession

Matt Lobley

^{NFUM | 2017 - 2020}

Nuffield Farming Lecture scholarship

Michael Winter

^{| 2017 - 2018}

Systems Change - Towards a Circular Economy SL-07647

Matt Lobley

^{EPSRC | 2016 - 2019}

Managing bovine TB in the UK: a disease at the intersections of the human, owned and wild

Angela Cassidy

^{Wellcome Trust | 2016 - 2017}

SUSTAinable Intensification Network - SUSTAIN

Michael Winter

^{BBSRC | 2016 - 2018}

Determining the Impacts of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) on Cultural Ecosystem Services and Human Well-being

Cheryl Willis

^{NERC | 2016 - 2016}

Exploring biodiversity values in the Somerset Levels with â€˜ecological entrepreneursâ€™

Timothy Wilkinson

^{NERC | 2016 - 2016}

The viability of the UK family farm

Michael Winter

^{Prince's Countryside Fund | 2015 - 2016}

Environmental Effectiveness of the HLS Stewardship Scheme, resurvey SL-07102

Michael Winter

^{Natural England via NERC CEH | 2015 - 2017}

Valuing Nature

Michael Winter

^{NERC CEH | 2014 - 2019}

Daphne Jackson Trust Fellowship Award: Determining the impact of forest gardens on raspberry production

^{BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council) | 2014 - 2016}

Daphne Jackson Trust Fellowship Award: Determining the impact of forest gardens on raspberry production

Emma Pilgrim

^{BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council) | 2014 - 2016}

Sustainable Intensification Platform

Michael Winter

^{DEFRA | 2014 - 2017}

Public Dialogue UK National Ecosystem Assessment

Robert Fish

^{NERC (National environmental research council) | 2013 - 2014}

CSF (Catchment Sensitive Farming) Motivations

Robert Fish

^{Environment Agency | 2013 - 2013}

Evaluation of the Family Business Growth Programme as part of the Rural Growth Network

Matt Lobley

^{DEFRA | 2013 - 2014}

UK NEA (Work Module 3: Cultural Ecosystem Case studies)

Robert Fish

^{UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) | 2012 - 2013}

Research to Inform the Farming Help Charities

Matt Lobley

^{Farm Crisis Network | 2012 - 2013}

Development of a UK knowledge exchange demonstrator projects and their interest groups

Robert Fish

^{Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) | 2011 - 2014}

The Impact of Social Purpose Organisations on Skills and Training

Matt Lobley

^{South West Forum, Big Lottery Fund | 2011 - 2013}

South West Agricultural Resource Management (SWARM)

Matt Lobley

^{Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)/SWRDA | 2011 - 2013}

Validation of Fertiliser Manual (RB209) recommendations for grassland

Matt Lobley

^{Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) | 2011 - 2015}

Economic Impact Assessment of Bovine Tuberculosis in the South West

Michael Winter

^{National Farmers Union | 2010 - 2010}

Processes of Technical Change in British Agriculture: Innovation in the Farming of South West England, 1935 - 1985

Michael Winter

^{ESRC | 2009 - 2012}

Farmcat - Improving the success of agri-environment initiatives

Matt Lobley

^{Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) | 2009 - 2010}

Sustainable Rural Futures (SRF)

Michael Winter

^{Devon County Council (DCC) | 2009 - 2022}

Farm Incomes in Devon

Matt Lobley

^{Devon County Council | 2008 - 2009}

Land - the New Debate - Workshop

Matt Lobley

^{Commission for Rural Communities | 2008 - 2008}

Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy: Regional Indicator Analysis

Matt Lobley

^{South West Chamber of Rural Enterprise (SWCORE) | 2007 - 2007}

Improving the Success of Agri-Environment Initiatives: the Role of Farmer Learning and Landscape Context

Michael Winter

^{ERSC | 2006 - 2012}

Entry to and exit from farming: implications for the well-being of farm household members in the South West

Matt Lobley

^{Griff Davies Legacy | 2006 - 2014}