John Godlee

Job Title: 

PhD student

My interest in the natural environment and our place within it grew from spending weekends in the woods with my father and from WWOOFing in various countries around the world. I recently began a PhD at The University of Edinburgh looking at how biodiversity influences forest growth and resource provisioning.

Food production and agriculture interests me because it epitomises our interaction with nature. Given our increasing population and food consumption I think it is important, both for human and environmental health, to develop sustainable farming practices. I also believe in getting more people involved in growing their own food, as I think there is nothing more satisfying.

My volunteer work with Agricology allows me to keep up to date with interesting agricultural developments and see things from more of a practical viewpoint. It also gives me valuable practice writing things for a non-academic audience.

In my spare time I still go WWOOFing whenever I get the chance, I enjoy wild-camping, whittling spoons and bicycle-touring, sometimes all at the same time!