01/07/2025

NISD intern awarded pioneering agricultural scholarship

NISD intern, Georgia Oliver, has been awarded the Norfolk International Scholarship by the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA). Announced at the 2025 Royal Norfolk Show, this marks the second time the scholarship has been awarded as part of a partnership between RNAA and the NISD. The award continues efforts to study pathways to more sustainable and nutritious food systems.

The Norfolk International Scholarship, delivered through an RNAA-NISD partnership, supports international research on agricultural practice, to bring these findings back to support Norfolk farmers.

Georgia, a postgraduate student at the University of East Anglia School of Global Development, will study how environmental land management schemes affect the adoption of sustainable practices. Georgia will study UK schemes, such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS), with similar schemes in other countries.

Georgia said: “I’m thrilled and extremely grateful to be selected for the Norfolk International Scholarship. It’s an incredible opportunity to learn from farmers not just here in Norfolk but around the world.

The award allows Georgia to travel to other countries for part of the comparative analysis. For instance, countries across Europe and North America offer innovative approaches to achieve sustainable development, and UK agriculture could learn from these policies and their results.

Throughout her international and UK-based work, Georgia will be capturing the barriers and enabling factors identified by farmers in undertaking environmental schemes, and using these to inform policy for future schemes.

Georgia said, “I’m passionate about sustainable farming and want to understand how policies can better support the transition farmers are already making toward regenerative, resilient practices.”

NISD Director Nitya Rao said: “This research is highly timely and practically grounded. Georgia brings an impressive mix of analytical skill, policy insight, and enthusiasm to the challenge. We are excited to see how her findings can contribute both locally and more widely to the evolution of support for sustainable farming.”

Poul Hovesen, President of the RNAA, said, “With the current interest across the RNAA food producer membership in how to create more financially and environmentally sustainable farming systems, Georgia’s research is timely, much needed and will bring welcome insights for Norfolk farmers.”

The Norfolk International Scholarship was launched in 2024 and was awarded to NISD researcher, Hileena Chloe, to study how farmers across Europe and America are adapting to changes in water availability. The scholarship is supported by the JC Mann Charitable Trust. This second award demonstrates continued partnership between Norfolk farming and research.