We’re delighted to be working with the British Ecological Society to deliver the symposium Nature, Farming and Food: How we value our land 19-20 June.
The ECI’s two research collaborative units; TABLE and the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, have partnered to deliver an event to address the realities of working in partnership in science, policy and practice – with the goal of finding solutions-oriented approaches to food systems transformation in the UK and across the world.

Evidence and data about what we eat, where and how it’s grown are some of the most contested scientific debates in the public sphere. All along the food chain, ecological and environmental data about farming are produced by different actors at different scales. How do we ensure scientists, farmers, policymakers and the public are making decisions based on the best possible information?
This symposium will tackle the debates and their politics head-on. It will ask how claims made about the impact of food on land and ecosystems differ when voiced by farmers, corporations or ecologists, and ask how we can work together to create the best evidence.

The event will present an opportunity for a diverse range of delegates to present their research and/or practice on what we eat and how we produce it, with a focus on the potential and the pitfalls for how ecological information about food systems is designed, produced and communicated in different ways.
We’ll bring together a wide range of disciplinary, geographic and practical backgrounds, including:
- Researchers in ecology and related disciplines
- Social scientists
- Policymakers
- Conservationists
- Land managers and more
There will be a focus on reflection and collaboration. We want all delegates to contribute to the process and return to their place of work with a new sense of purpose, having had really valuable and inspiring conversations and a chance to properly reflect on their own projects.
It’s taking place 19-20 June at the University of Oxford.
Both registration and the call for presentations are open.
Find out more: Nature, Farming and Food: How we value our land
