Event details

What can the past teach us about the future of farming?

Join us for a one-day interdisciplinary workshop exploring the extraordinary transformation of British agriculture in the postwar period – what Brassley et al. (2021) called the “Real Agricultural Revolution.”

Between the 1940s and 1980s, British farming saw dramatic shifts in output, practices, and structure. This event takes recent historical research on agriculture, science, and policy as the starting point for a broader conversation about how change happens in food systems — and how we might apply those lessons today.

Together, we’ll ask:

• What enabled such rapid change in postwar farming?
• What role did state intervention and policy play compared to other incentives?
• What motivates farmers to adopt new practices?
• How can history inform contemporary food and agriculture policy?

Who is this for?

This workshop is aimed at historians, researchers, and practitioners interested in the development of British agriculture and food systems. It invites transdisciplinary dialogue between scholars of agriculture, science, and policy and those working on the future of food production.

Speakers

Dr Paul Brassley, University of Exeter

Professor John Martin, History Department, University of Reading

Professor Karen Sayer, Leeds Trinity University

Dr Angela Cassidy, History Department University of Exeter

Shane Hamilton,  Reader in Strategy, Management and Society, School for Business and Society, University of York

Professor Andrew Godley, University of Sussex Business School

Dr Sally Horrocks, School of History, Politics and International Relations, University of Leicester

Dr Sabine Clarke, Senior Lecturer in Modern History, Department of History, University of York

Dr Thomas Lean, Curator, Museum of Science and Industry

Dr Paul Merchant, National Life Stories, British Library

Practical Info

The event is free to attend. The workshop will be followed by a reception.

Thanks to support from the Wellcome Trust, travel and accommodation costs can be covered for participants.

If you are external to the University of York and would like to register your interest in attending, or to ask about expenses, please contact Dr Sabine Clarke at: sabine.clarke@york.ac.uk

Why attend?

Whether you're working in agricultural policy, researching sustainable food futures, or exploring the sociopolitical drivers of change, this workshop is a chance to deepen your understanding of how transformation in food systems takes root — and what it means for today’s challenges.

 

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