Paul Plummer
PhD project title: Navigating agri-food innovation in view of societal challenges: The development of value chains for ‘food without agriculture’ in Sweden
Short description of the project
Food systems are faced with persistent sustainability problems. In response, experts and authorities call for a transformation of the ways in which food is produced and consumed. Opinion on the transformation needed to achieve a sustainable food system differs. However, many see innovation – whether technological, political, social or institutional –as an important driver of the changes required. While traditionally framed as a means to promote productivity and economic growth, recent years have seen a shift in science and policymaking towards viewing innovation as a means to address complex societal challenges. This shift invites updated conceptual and analytical approaches, and scholarly work in this area has already taken place. This thesis builds on this work to develop conceptual and analytical approaches for studying agri-food innovation in relation to societal challenges. In the thesis, these approaches are used to investigate agri-food value chains which do not rely on agriculture, and analyse their development in relation to a sustainability transition in the Swedish food system.
Supervisors
Main supervisor
- Prof. Thomas Lennerfors: Uppsala University, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Division of Industrial Engineering and Management
Co-supervisors
- Dr. Johnn Andersson, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Gothenburg, Dr Elisabet Rytter, Livsmedelsföretagen, Dr. Petter Forsberg, Uppsala University, Innovation Partnership Office
Location
Uppsala University, Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Division of Industrial Engineering and Management
About me
I am originally from Scotland, where I completed a degree in Philosophy before pursuing a master’s degree in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University. My master’s thesis project sparked my research interest in sustainability transitions within the food system, which I am now pursuing in relation to innovation within unconventional food value chains in Sweden.