Laurence Richards

Background

About Laurence Richards

My work centres around sustainable land management, with a particular focus on agroforestry, agroecology, food security, resilient livelihoods, ecological restoration and climate change mitigation and adaptation. I work with smallholder farmers in the tropics and sub-tropics in both a research and development capacity, with specific emphasis on how trees can be incorporated into smallholder livelihood and landscape systems for a variety of products and services to deliver increased functioning and resilience. I also work with farmers in the United Kingdom to design and implement agroforestry systems for a range of provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting eco-system services, for on and off farm benefits, tailoring interventions to the expressed needs and circumstances of the farmers. I am interested in how local and scientific knowledge platforms can be synthesised to develop holistic innovations that tackle some of the world’s most pressing environmental and social problems. Coming from a practical background in organic farming and tree-surgery/forestry and with an Agroforestry and Food Security, Master of Science degree from Bangor University I have valuable combination of practical and theoretical skills and knowledge to bring to my work. I am interested and available to discuss possible future projects and can be reached at laurence_richards@hotmail.co.uk.