Prof. Andrew Barnes

I'm a Professor of Rural Resource Economics and Head of the Department for Rural Economy, Environment and Society at SRUC. My interests are focused on the socio-economics of agricultural production and I now lead economic input into the Scottish Animal Health Consortium at EPIC.

My work covers developed and developing country contexts, working recently in both Colombia and East Africa to understand the uptake of sustainable practices. These trips include investigations into the uptake of precision farming techniques, ecological practice adoption, and measuring the impact of these practices on wider social goals, such as greenhouse gas emissions and animal welfare. I have established a team of interdisciplinary scientists working on farmer behaviours and innovation, and the economics of farm production.

I am a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the science directorate for Climate Exchange (CxC). I have contributed to a number of debates of policy significance, most recently with the Royal Society on their 2050 Climate Challenge and for Defra in the development of standards for their Environmental Land Management system.