Prof Richard Pywell

I have worked with the farming industry for over 25 years to co-design agricultural systems that integrate productive and efficient farming with the conservation of farmland wildlife. My work has particularly focused on managing farmland for insect pollinators (see: www.ceh.ac.uk/book-habitat-creation-and-management-pollinators) and improved natural pest control (integrated pest management). I have published over 100 scientific papers and popular articles on practical management solutions for both arable and grassland systems.

My research demonstrating that wildlife-friendly farming increases crop yields won the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science award for best conservation science paper of 2015. I currently lead the £12 million Achieving Sustainable Agricultural Systems (ASSIST – www.assist.ceh.ac.uk/) research programme for UKRI. This involves working with the farming industry to co-develop novel farming systems that will increase the efficiency and sustainability of food production, and improve their resilience to environmental change. Other projects I lead aim to deliver new metrics and models to support decisions on how to manage future landscapes (AGLAND), as well as improving our understanding of how climate change will impact on crop and grassland yields (CROP-NET).