Changing Land Use

Socio-Economic Impacts of Land Use Change

CRE, CCRI and NICRE have conducted a series of rural case studies within England and Wales exploring the socio-economic impacts of land use change. Early findings reveal an appreciation of the value of landscape and ensuring this provides multiple functions e.g., farming, nature and the associated tourism and arts linked industries that use the land as inspiration. People and businesses engaged in land management provide multiple benefits in rural places alongside contributions to the local economy and environment.
Whilst changes are happening, e.g., SFI uptake, local communities can often feel that their needs are overlooked in comparison to the environment e.g., restrictions on housing, farm diversification. The wider land use change trends need to be balanced with ensuring access to land within local communities to serve their needs. This could also include more affordable housing and housing fit for an aging community, community energy provision, and ensuring that brownfield sites are used. Improving transport infrastructure would help maximise opportunities.

Keywords: land use, land use change, socio-economic consequences, rural, community resilience

Dr Beth Clark beth.clark@newcastle.ac.uk; Dr Natalie Partridge Natalie.partridge@newcastle.ac.uk

Farm Tenancies in North East England

This research explores how evolving land use policy, shifting subsidy frameworks, and longstanding landownership structures are influencing the future of farm tenancies in the North East of England. In the context of the UK’s post Brexit agricultural transition, the study investigates how tenant farmers experience increasing expectations around environmental management, business resilience, and long term security. Using a qualitative design centered on in depth, semi structured interviews with tenant farmers, landowners, agents, policymakers, and support organisations, the research examines the financial, social, emotional, and wellbeing related factors shaping decisions across the farming lifecycle. By analysing the interplay between agricultural policy, tenure arrangements, and the lived realities of those working within the tenanted sector, the study aims to illuminate barriers to equitable land access, understand how recent policy reforms are felt on the ground, and contribute evidence supporting more sustainable rural livelihoods and resilient farming communities.

Keywords: Farming, Tenants

Mr Steven Hall l.s.hall2@newcastle.ac.uk

Social Capacities for Peatland Transformations

Peatlands are one of the world’s most important natural habitats, recognised for their capacity to deliver multiple objectives around carbon sequestration, nature improvement and air and water quality. But today, around 80% of UK peatlands are damaged. Protecting and restoring peatlands has been identified in the Land Use Framework (2026) as key to achieving net zero goals. The RESPECT project (Rapid Engagement with Stressed Peatland Environments and Communities in Transformation) is a BBSRC-funded interdisciplinary project involving Newcastle, Glasgow, Hull and Stirling Universities. It is exploring the physical capacity of agricultural land for peatland restoration as well as the social capacity of landholders to undertake sustainable peat management and restoration and is examining what enables or constrains restoration practice. The project aims to produce data, methods, landholder tools and proposals for governance reforms to support and upscale the protection, restoration and sustainable management of agricultural peatlands in Scotland and England.

Keywords: peatlands, restoration, sustainable land management, farmers, landholders 

Key contacts:  Dr Amy Proctor amy.proctor@newcastle.ac.uk and Dr Stuart Brown stuart.brown@newcastle.ac.uk 

Land-use for Net Zero: Challenges and Opportunities for Land-based Carbon Dioxide Removal Strategies

The climate crisis is accelerating research, development and commercialisation of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies and innovations. Many of these CDR strategies come with inherent costs, benefits and trade-offs. In the agri-food sector, this includes potential conflicts with other government policy priorities, such as food security or biodiversity net gain. Alternatively, these innovations could provide benefits for growers, such as increased soil health or reduced dependency on energy-intensive inputs (e.g. fertilisers, pesticides). My interdisciplinary research group investigates the efficacy of different land-based CDR strategies and evaluates the implications of these innovations for other policy priorities (e.g. food production, nature recovery), enabling practitioners and policymakers to make evidence-based land management decisions. Research focuses on novel land management systems (e.g. agro-forestry, bioenergy with carbon capture storage), sustainable soil interventions (e.g. enhanced rock weathering, biochar), or use of digital technologies (e.g. sensing) to optimise agricultural management practices while minimising environmental impacts. 

Keywords: Carbon Dioxide Removal, Climate-smart Agriculture, Ecosystem Restoration

Professor Yit Arn Teh  YitArn.Teh@newcastle.ac.uk

Projects

Developing SUstainable PERmanent Grassland systems and policies (SUPER-G) - Funding from EU Horizon 2020 (2019-2024) - CRE input: Prof Lynn Frewer (Work Package leader), Prof Mark Reed (Co-Investigator)

Resilient dairy: socio-technical innovation for dairy resilience and sustainability - Funding from BBSRC (2017-2021) - CRE input: Prof Mark Reed (Principal Investigator), Prof Lynn Frewer (Co-Investigator and Work Package co-leader)

Brexit: how might UK agriculture survive or thrive? - Funders: ESRC (April 2017-September 2018) - CRE input: Dr Carmen Hubbard PI, Prof David Harvey, Anne Liddon, Charles Scott, Dr Michael Wallace

Evaluation of ‘Going for Growth’, Friends of the Earth (January 2016 – March 2017) - Funding from Friends of the Earth - CRE input: Dr Ruth MacAreavey

Understanding ecosystem stocks and tipping points in UK blanket peatlands - Funding from NERC Valuing Nature Programme (2016-2018) - CRE input: Prof Mark Reed (Principal Investigator)

Soil Care for profitable and sustainable crop production in Europe - Funding from EU Horizon 2020 (2015-2020) - CRE input: Prof Mark Reed (Work Package leader)

STFC Food Security Network+ - Funding from STFC (2017-2019) - CRE input: Prof Mark Reed (Co-Investigator)

Yorkshire Integrated Catchment Solutions Programme - Funding from NERC (2017-2022) - CRE input: Prof Mark Reed (Co-Investigator and Impact Evaluation Group Chair)

Feed-a-gene - Adapting animal and the feeding techniques to improve efficiency and sustainability of livestock production systems - Funding from EU (2015-2020) CRE input: Guy Garrod, Dr Carmen Hubbard, Marion Raley

SusPigSys - Sustainability in pig production systems - Funding from ERA-NET (2017-2020) CRE input: Project Leader: Carmen Hubbard

The energy climate food security NEXUS: Developing a multi stakeholder deliberative governance model in Northern Ireland - Funding from ESRC (Sept 2016-Sept 2017) CRE input: Professor Sally Shortall (PI)

PROHEALTH – Sustainable pig and poultry production: WP7: Socioeconomic evaluation of controls of production diseases - Funding from European Union Seventh Framework (2013-2018) CRE input: Prof Lynn Frewer (PI)

Assessing Rural Landscapes in Chile - Funding from British Council – Institutional Links. (2015-2016) CRE input: Dr Menelaos Gkartzios (Principal Investigator), Guy Garrod (Co-Investigator), Dr Liz Oughton (Co-Investigator), Marian Raley (RA)