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Josiah Judson

Josiah Judson

Profile

I am a postgraduate researcher in the School of Geography researching soil benefits and public goods associated with agroforestry. Prior to my PhD, I completed an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development at the University of Cambridge, using systems dynamics methods to assess the potential for a range of management strategies to promote land stewardship in the UK. My background is in Natural Sciences and I completed my undergraduate degree in Cambridge in 2015, publishing final year research in seismology. Since then my work has included data analysis and international development research for a London-based think tank; and research and project coordination for The Besom, a charity bridging the gap between givers of money and time and those in need of help.

Research interests

Agroforestry, or ‘farming with trees’, is widely-practised around the world for its resource use efficiency and circularity; like other agroecological methods, it is associated with multiple benefit delivery, reconciling objectives for food production and ecological renewal. Continued weakening of terrestrial ecosystem service provision in the UK has prompted a reframing of the goals of land use, with new opportunities to support food systems, soil function, biodiversity, natural flood management and climate mitigation. Agroforestry has been cited by the IPCC and Climate Change Committee as an essential strategy for reconciling these and other imperatives. However for benefits to be realised and effectively leveraged, work is needed to uncover system-level outcomes and trade-offs specific to UK geographies. My research characterises these dynamics at plot and landscape scales, building detail necessary for practitioners to maximise benefits within local constraints, whilst supporting the delivery of sustainable public goods.

Funding: NERC Panorama funded

Qualifications

  • MPhil Engineering for Sustainable Development (Distinction) – University of Cambridge, 2021
  • BA, MSci Natural Sciences – University of Cambridge, 2015