Dr Richard Byrne CGeog

Biography

Richard has over 25 years of Pracademic (Practical Academic) experience in land management and food security. He has worked in a variety of challenging environments from Afghanistan and Angola to Nigeria and Zambia. In the last 15 years, he has been very much involved in advancing the field of Stabilisation Agriculture and developing integrated livelihood solutions in countries affected by or emerging from conflict to promote food security and economic growth. As a result of this work, he has increasingly been involved in projects relating to Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT), particularly in agricultural and rural settings. He is currently working in the Human Security space on climate change impacts on food security and its relationship to conflict and human exploitation. With colleagues drawn from across the University and Ph.D. researchers, he manages the Rural Resilience Research Group (3RG) which focuses on stressors in the rural environment such as climate change, farm crime, and modern slavery in agricultural systems both in the UK and overseas. Richard's teaching is focused on agricultural policy, global food commodities trade, and their relationship to geopolitics and climate change. He has a particular interest in agricultural policy and climate adaptation and the Black Sea grain trade. In addition to teaching and research, he currently advises a number of Government departments, commercial organisations, and NGOs on the interface of food security, climate change, and conflict.