Luz-Maria Lozada-Ellison

After a career break from 2015-2019, Luz Maria’s current research interests address food production and conservation through questions related to diverse demands over land as a finite resource that is impacted by climate change. The social dynamics created over land and landscapes from international to national public policy demands and land managers’ decision-making about management and what they can, want or should produce are at the heart of her work.

She is currently working on different projects.

Agroecology research.

This area of research studies agroecological principles as an alternative response to multiple demands. Luz Maria is interested in agroecology from the social perspective. She develops research related to current adoption of practices, how to design payments to enable adoption of new practices and how to upscale those by studying behavioural change for implementing agroecological principles.

Social and Economic research on perceptions, values and attitudes.

The study of perceptions, values and attitudes allows fine understanding of behaviours from different angles. Work developed in this area uses qualitative research to inform quantitative methods such as experimental economics.

Environmental index.

Work developed in this area of interest relates to poverty and the benefits people can access from the countryside. This work is to enhance the Scottish poverty index by including other indicators that are currently excluded from the index, especially in relation to the environment.