Jessica Chapman

Jessica Chapman

Profile

Jessica holds a BA Honours Law degree from Carleton University in Canada (2018) and an MSc degree in Climate Change, Development and Policy from University of Sussex / Institute of Development Studies (2020). Her MSc dissertation was titled, ‘How to improve links between sustainable food production and sustainable land management: sheep in conservation grazing on the South Downs to restore endangered chalk grassland.’ This dissertation was undertaken as a work placement at Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, a UK non-profit organisation. In post, she translated her research findings into informing grant proposals and influencing policy decisions at the local scale.

Following her MSc, Jessica gained real-life regenerative and organic farming experience by collaborating with farmers on CO2 reduction projects in the UK and Canada. She has also advocated on behalf of local organic farming communities against urban expansion into critically endangered soil in the province of Ontario in Canada. During this work, she drafted legal deputations which provided a re-assessment on land use planning proposals that better integrated provincial agricultural mapping systems and aligned with the region’s 2020 Climate Change Action Plan.This led to successfully influencing planning decisions by challenging a panel of Regional Councilers.

 

Additionally, Jessica has worked as a free-lance environmental editor at a ghostwriting service company in Toronto, Canada.

Jessica Chapman

PhD title: Soil Salvation: The Critical Decade for Soil Carbon

My project is funded by the Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholarship and is part of the Critical Decade for Climate Change programme at University of East Anglia. My research focusses on understanding soil recarbonisation efficacy using interdisciplinary methods. Research findings will inform the Soil Carbon Code; the key policy mechanism to deliver soil-recarbonisation interventions at scale in the UK. Research methods include; systematic literature review, meta-analysis, soil carbon modelling, semi-structured interviews, choice experiments and SWOT analysis. Project collaborators include; the UK Soil Association, UK farmer groups (engaged in rewilding, regenerative and organic farming) and the International Institute for Sustainability (IIS; Brazil).

Grants

  • Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholarship

Conferences

  • Oxford Real Farming Conference 2021

Other information

Jessica has been involved in agricultural community outreach, engagement and voluntary work. At Fork & Dig It (2019- 20) a UK Community Supported Agriculture programme, she executed organic soil management tasks on 3-acres in Stanmer Park. Moreover, she successfully inspired University of Sussex students and staff across disciplines and Schools to attend. Jessica also lived and laboured on Plaw Hatch Farm (2020-21) a 200-acre, biodynamic and organic community-owned and operated farm in East Sussex. Here she executed organic soil management techniques and supported ecology projects funded by Sussex High Weald grant through native tree and hedgerow planting. In Canada, on Sharon Creek Organic Farm (2021-22) she gained experiential knowledge on soil, along with hands-on skills through voluntary work during harvest season.

ORCiD

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6067-1832