Agriculture and food research at the Centre for Sustainability includes investigations into:
- Agricultural sustainability
- Agri-food dynamics
- AgriTech
- Food and farming systems
- Māori food systems
Lead researchers' interests and projects
Professor Hugh Campbell
Professor of Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology, School of Social Sciences
Professor Hugh Campbell has research interests in the social and economic dynamics of ‘greening’ food systems, the politics of sustainability under neoliberal governance, achieving sustainability via audits, food waste, transitions in agriculture and food systems in New Zealand, and theories of global food regimes.
Email hugh.campbell@otago.ac.nz
Projects
- Connecting Food Producers and Consumers (Our Land and Water)
- Good Animal
- Protein 2.0
- Protein Futures (Our Land and Water)
Professor Merata Kawharu
Research Professor, Centre for Sustainability
Professor Merata Kawharu (Ngāti Whatua, Ngāpuhi), has research interests that have over-arching themes of supporting Māori leadership, community and education. She has focused in areas such as land and water, capability building, climate change resilience, and connections to ancestral marae by young Māori.
Email merata.kawharu@otago.ac.nz
Current postgraduate agriculture and food research projects
Postgraduate students research projects contribute hugely to the advancement of sustainability research. Read more about their work:
- Developing sustainable Hokiana Kai Systems (Barnes)
- MaaraTech: Artificial Intelligence in Orchards and Vineyards (Ndaka)
- The relationships between kainga, kura, food production and sustainability in the face of a changing environment (Davies)
Recently completed agriculture and food research
Recent work from both our researchers and postgraduates.
- Food Waste at the production stage of the food value chain. (Croad)
- The political nature of food banks. (Cresswell Riol)
- To See the City for the Weeds: exploring urban foraging in Dunedin/Ōtepoti (Virens)
- Agriculture and Energy (Fitzgerald)
- Fighting for Food Safety in Post-Fukushima Japan. (Burch)
- Maori Women and Food sovereignty (Stein)
- New Zealand Sustainability Dashboard
- Social Capital and Small holder Dairy Farming resilience(Kresna)
