Prof Stephen Whitfield
- Position: Professor of Climate, Agriculture and Food
- Email: S.Whitfield@leeds.ac.uk
- Phone: +44(0)113 343 9754
- Location: 11.112 School of Earth and Environment
Profile
Stephen’s research interests are in the social and political dimensions of international development in the context of agriculture and food systems. He currently co-leads the Food Systems Transformation in Southern Africa for One Health (FoSTA Health), a three and half year programme evaluating the human, animal and environmental health implications of changes in agriculture, land use, supply chains and diets in southern Africa. He is also co-investigator on the CGIAR ClimBeR programme which is aiming to transform the climate adaptation capacity of food and agricultural systems in low- and middle-income countries.
Stephen previously led the NERC SHEAR-funded IPACE-Malawi project, which focuses on improving preparedness to climate extremes in agricultural systems in Malawi, through climate information service provision. He is also led the GCRF Challenge Cluster on African Food Systems Transformation and Justice, which synthesised lessons on social and environmental justice within the context of food system transformation from across GCRF-funded projects. He is a Senior Engagement Lead for the Knowledge Equity Network and an Editor of Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Responsibilities
- Associate Director of the Global Food and Environment Institute
- Agricultural and Food-system Resilience: Increasing Capacity and Advising Policy (GCRF-AFRICAP)
- Building Systemic Resilience against Climate Variability and Extremes (ClimBeR)
- Conservation Agriculture in Southern Africa
- Food Systems Transformation in Southern Africa for One Health (FoSTA Health), EU
- FoSTA Health
- IPACE-Malawi: Improving Preparedness to Agro-Climatic Extremes in Malawi
- iSPARK: innovation in sustainability, policy, adaptation and resilience in Kenya
Qualifications
- PhD, Development Studies, Institute of Development Studies/STEPS Centre, University of Sussex
- MSc, Environment and International Development, University of East Anglia
- BA (Hons), Geography, Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge
Student education
I teach on the MSc Sustainable Food Systems progrramm and on the second year Undergraduate module SOEE2372 'People, Environment and Sustainability'
Research groups and institutes
- Environment and Development
- Climate Science and Impacts
- Sustainability Research Institute