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Dr Hannah Pitt
(she/her)
Senior Lecturer in Environmental Geography, School Community Co-ordinator
School of Geography and Planning
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I am Senior Lecturer in Environmental Geography. My research into skills and work in commercial horticulture is the focus of a forthcoming book Revaluing Horticultural Skills
Other research explores interactions between community, places, and sustainability. I focus on these in the contexts of food systems, and engagement with outdoor spaces. I specialise in collaborations with third sector organisations and communities, and have particular interest in understanding human-plant relations.
I am co-convenor of the Environment Research Group in the School of Geography and Planning.
Recent projects:
- Knowing to Grow: Sêr Cymru II Research Fellowship which aims to enhance resilience of knowledge and skills dimensions of agri-foodsystems. It focuses on horticultural production– large scale fruit and vegetable growing- with case studies in Wales, the UK and EU. Knowledge network mapping will identify where systems are vulnerable, and how power dynamics affect future resilience.
- Finding pathways towards transformation of traditional farming in marginal areas: British Academy funded research to explore farmers’ concerns and opinions about diversifying their production, and the pressures of meeting the demand for more UK-grown plant-based food.
- Good Work for Good Food: An international collaboration to develop and promote a shared vision for good work across the food system.
- Resilient Green Spaces: A partnership working to pilot alternative re-localised food systems using communities and their green spaces as the driving force for change across Wales.
- The Careoperative: An international leadership collective focused on Transforming (food) Systems.
Previous projects
- Evaluation of Food Power examining the role and potential of local networks working to reduce the causes of food insecurity.
- OMG! Data research partner developing an information management tool for organic market gardners
- Investigating potential for bluespaces to enhance individual and community wellbeing with Canal & River Trust
- Understanding reasons for under-use of urban waterways amongst marginalised communities.
- Evaluating civil society programmes aiming to promote food sustainability and food related education.
- PhD - an ethnography of community gardens as place making.
Collaborators
- Hafod
- Land Workers Alliance
- Social Farms & Gardens
- Tyfu Cymru / Lantra Cymru
- Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming
- Canal & River Trust
- SOCOPA - Somali Community and Parent Association Leicester.
- Garden Organic
- Soil Association
- Alliance Homes
Publication
2024
- Woodley, E. et al. 2024. The future of geography field course pedagogy in UK Higher Education. Geo: Geography and Environment 11(2), article number: e00158. (10.1002/geo2.158)
- Pitt, H. 2024. Revaluing horticultural skills The knowledge and labour of growing food. Critical Food Studies. United Kingdom: Routledge.
- Pitt, H. 2024. Getting intimate with crops in horticulture’s loveless human-plant relations. Social and Cultural Geography (10.1080/14649365.2024.2431018)
- Care, O. et al. 2024. Reaping what we sow: centering values on food systems transformations research.. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment (10.1007/s13280-024-02086-5)
- Craft, R. and Pitt, H. 2024. More than meat? Livestock farmers' views on opportunities to produce for plant-based diets. Agriculture and Human Values 41, pp. 975-988. (10.1007/s10460-023-10533-4)
- Pitt, H. 2024. Training in agro-ecological horticulture: Case studies and delivery models. Project Report. [Online]. Cardiff: Cardiff University School of Geography and Planning. Available at: https://ourfood1200.wales/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Training-in-Agro-ecological-Horticulture-Case-studies-delivery-models-FINAL.pdf
- Smith, T. A. and Pitt, H. 2024. Noticing nature on the waterways. Children's Geographies 22(3), pp. 331-349. (10.1080/14733285.2023.2279994)
2023
- Klassen, S., Medland, L., Nicol, P. and Pitt, H. 2023. Pathways for advancing good work in food systems: reflecting on the good work for good food international forum. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 12(2), pp. 1-17. (10.5304/jafscd.2023.122.004)
2022
- Zaidi, N. and Pitt, H. 2022. Invisible boundaries to access and participation in public spaces : Navigating community diversity in Leicester, UK.. Local Environment 27(9), pp. 1059-1074. (10.1080/13549839.2022.2090533)
- Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. 2022. Unfamiliar landscapes: an introduction. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1-32., (10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5_1)
- Dunkley, R. A. and Smith, T. A. 2022. Conversations with practitioners 3: Toby Clark. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences. Cham: Palgrave, Macmillan, pp. 515-535.
- Pitt, H. and Smith, T. A. 2022. Conversations with practitioners 2: Phoebe Smith and Dwayne Fields. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences. Cham: Palgrave, Macmillan, pp. 337-362., (10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5_14)
- Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. 2022. Whose unfamiliar landscape? Reflecting on the diversity of young people’s encounters with nature and the outdoors. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences,. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 551-570., (10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5_23)
- Smith, T. A. and Pitt, H. 2022. ‘But, would we be the odd family?’: Encountering and producing unfamiliar bodies and landscapes. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp. 283-308., (10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5_12)
- Craft, R. and Pitt, H. 2022. Exploring opportunities for farmers in Wales to produce foods for future markets.
- Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. 2022. Unfamiliar landscapes: young people and diverse outdoor experiences. London: Palgrave Macmillan Cham. (10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5)
- Pitt, H. 2022. Horticulture in the UK - Resilience to and beyond pandemic. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2633199/KtoG-Report-Covid-and-Resilience-FINAL.pdf
- Pitt, H. 2022. Horticulture in the UK - Characterising knowledge ecosystems. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2633208/Results-Report-Skills-Ecosystems-FINAL.pdf
2021
- Pitt, H. 2021. Living lexicon for the environmental humanities: roots. Environmental Humanities 13(2), pp. 470-474. (10.1215/22011919-9320255)
- Pitt, H. 2021. What knowledge is required to grow food? A framework for understanding horticulture’s skills ‘crisis’. Journal of Rural Studies 85, pp. 59-67. (10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.05.001)
- Sanderson-Bellamy, A., Furness, E., Nicol, P., Pitt, H. and Taherzadeh, A. 2021. Shaping more resilient and just food systems: lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment 50, pp. 782-793. (10.1007/s13280-021-01532-y)
- Care, O. et al. 2021. Creating leadership collectives for sustainability transformations. Sustainability Science 16, pp. 703-708. (10.1007/s11625-021-00909-y)
2020
- Bayfield, H., Colebrooke, L., Pitt, H., Pugh, R. and Stutter, N. 2020. Awesome women and bad feminists: the role of online social networks and peer support for feminist practice in academia. Cultural Geographies 27(3), pp. 415-435. (10.1177/1474474019890321)
2019
- Pitt, H. 2019. Limits to growth? Why gardening has limited success growing inclusive communities. In: Certoma, C., Noori, S. and Sondermann, M. eds. Urban gardening and the struggle for social and spatial justice. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 108-123., (10.7228/manchester/9781526126092.003.0007)
- Pitt, H. 2019. What prevents people accessing urban bluespaces? A qualitative study. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 39, pp. 89-97. (10.1016/j.ufug.2019.02.013)
- Pitt, H. 2019. No ducking, no diving, no running, no pushing: Hydrophobia and urban blue spaces across the life-course. In: Foley, R. et al. eds. Blue Space, Health and Wellbeing: Hydrophilia Unbounded. London: Routledge, (10.4324/9780815359159)
- Backman, M., Pitt, H., Marsden, T., Mehmood, A. and Mathijs, E. 2019. Experiential approaches to sustainability education: towards learning landscapes. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 20(1), pp. 139-156. (10.1108/IJSHE-06-2018-0109)
- Pitt, H. 2019. Working Paper 1: The state of horticulture in the UK. Working paper. Cardiff University. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/1470203/Working-Paper-1-FINAL-TEXT.pdf
- Pitt, H. 2019. Working Paper 2: The state of skills for UK horticulture. Working paper. Cardiff University. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1527847/Working-Paper-2-FINAL.pdf
- Pitt, H. 2019. Working Paper 3: What is the problem with horticultural skills in the UK?. Working paper. Cardiff University. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1527848/Working-Paper-3-Problem-FINAL.pdf
- Pitt, H. and Smith, T. 2019. Leicester Young Ecology Adventurers: Evaluation Report 2: Final ,. Cardiff: Cardiff University School and Geography and Planning and Sustainable Places Research Institute.
- Pitt, H. 2019. Working Paper 4: What will solve the problem with horticultural skills in the UK?. Working paper. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1527849/Working-Paper-4-Solutions-FINAL.pdf
2018
- Pitt, H. 2018. An apprenticeship in plant thinking. In: Bastian, M. et al. eds. Participatory Research in More-than-Human Worlds. London: Routledge
- Maughan, C., Laycock Pedersen, R. and Pitt, H. 2018. The problems, promise and pragmatism of community food growing. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 33(SI6), pp. 497-502. (10.1017/S1742170518000200)
- Pitt, H., Jones, M. and Weitkamp, E. 2018. Every city a food growing city? What food growing schools London reveals about city strategies for food system sustainability. Sustainability 10(8), article number: 2924. (10.3390/su10082924)
- Pitt, H. 2018. Muddying the waters: what urban waterways reveal about bluespaces and wellbeing. Geoforum 92, pp. 161-170. (10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.04.014)
2017
- Gray, S., Orme, J., Pitt, H. and Jones, M. 2017. Food for life: evaluation of the impact of the Hospital Food Programme in England using a case study approach. JRSM Open 8(10), pp. 1-9. (10.1177/2054270417712703)
- Pitt, H., Jones, M., Oxford, L., Bray, I., Kimberlee, R. and Orme, J. 2017. Association between Food for Life, a whole setting healthy and sustainable food programme, and primary school children's consumption of fruit and vegetables: a cross-sectional study in England. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14(6), article number: 639. (10.3390/ijerph14060639)
- Gray, S., Jones, M., Means, R., Orme, J., Pitt, H. and Salmon, D. 2017. Inter-sectoral transfer of the Food for Life settings framework in England. Health Promotion International (10.1093/heapro/dax017)
- Pitt, H. 2017. Questioning care cultivated through connecting with more-than-human communities. Social and Cultural Geography 19(2), pp. 253-274. (10.1080/14649365.2016.1275753)
2016
- Pitt, H. and Jones, M. 2016. Scaling up and out as a pathway for food system transitions. Sustainability 8(10), article number: 1025. (10.3390/su8101025)
2015
- Gray, S., Means, R., Orme, J., Pitt, H., Jones, M. and Salmon, D. 2015. Improving hospital food: evaluating the impact of the UK Food for Life partnership. European Journal of Public Health 25(S3), pp. -., article number: 380. (10.1093/eurpub/ckv176.018)
- Pitt, H. 2015. On showing and being shown plants - a guide to methods for more-than-human geography. Area 47(1), pp. 48-55. (10.1111/area.12145)
2014
- Pitt, H. 2014. Book review - community gardening as social action. People, Place and Policy Online 8(2), pp. -., article number: 142. (10.3351/ppp.0008.0002.0006)
- Pitt, H. 2014. Therapeutic experiences of community gardens: putting flow in its place. Health and Place 27, pp. 84-91. (10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.02.006)
2013
- Pitt, H. 2013. Growing together: an ethnography of community gardening as place making. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Articles
- Woodley, E. et al. 2024. The future of geography field course pedagogy in UK Higher Education. Geo: Geography and Environment 11(2), article number: e00158. (10.1002/geo2.158)
- Pitt, H. 2024. Getting intimate with crops in horticulture’s loveless human-plant relations. Social and Cultural Geography (10.1080/14649365.2024.2431018)
- Care, O. et al. 2024. Reaping what we sow: centering values on food systems transformations research.. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment (10.1007/s13280-024-02086-5)
- Craft, R. and Pitt, H. 2024. More than meat? Livestock farmers' views on opportunities to produce for plant-based diets. Agriculture and Human Values 41, pp. 975-988. (10.1007/s10460-023-10533-4)
- Smith, T. A. and Pitt, H. 2024. Noticing nature on the waterways. Children's Geographies 22(3), pp. 331-349. (10.1080/14733285.2023.2279994)
- Klassen, S., Medland, L., Nicol, P. and Pitt, H. 2023. Pathways for advancing good work in food systems: reflecting on the good work for good food international forum. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development 12(2), pp. 1-17. (10.5304/jafscd.2023.122.004)
- Zaidi, N. and Pitt, H. 2022. Invisible boundaries to access and participation in public spaces : Navigating community diversity in Leicester, UK.. Local Environment 27(9), pp. 1059-1074. (10.1080/13549839.2022.2090533)
- Pitt, H. 2021. Living lexicon for the environmental humanities: roots. Environmental Humanities 13(2), pp. 470-474. (10.1215/22011919-9320255)
- Pitt, H. 2021. What knowledge is required to grow food? A framework for understanding horticulture’s skills ‘crisis’. Journal of Rural Studies 85, pp. 59-67. (10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.05.001)
- Sanderson-Bellamy, A., Furness, E., Nicol, P., Pitt, H. and Taherzadeh, A. 2021. Shaping more resilient and just food systems: lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment 50, pp. 782-793. (10.1007/s13280-021-01532-y)
- Care, O. et al. 2021. Creating leadership collectives for sustainability transformations. Sustainability Science 16, pp. 703-708. (10.1007/s11625-021-00909-y)
- Bayfield, H., Colebrooke, L., Pitt, H., Pugh, R. and Stutter, N. 2020. Awesome women and bad feminists: the role of online social networks and peer support for feminist practice in academia. Cultural Geographies 27(3), pp. 415-435. (10.1177/1474474019890321)
- Pitt, H. 2019. What prevents people accessing urban bluespaces? A qualitative study. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 39, pp. 89-97. (10.1016/j.ufug.2019.02.013)
- Backman, M., Pitt, H., Marsden, T., Mehmood, A. and Mathijs, E. 2019. Experiential approaches to sustainability education: towards learning landscapes. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 20(1), pp. 139-156. (10.1108/IJSHE-06-2018-0109)
- Maughan, C., Laycock Pedersen, R. and Pitt, H. 2018. The problems, promise and pragmatism of community food growing. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 33(SI6), pp. 497-502. (10.1017/S1742170518000200)
- Pitt, H., Jones, M. and Weitkamp, E. 2018. Every city a food growing city? What food growing schools London reveals about city strategies for food system sustainability. Sustainability 10(8), article number: 2924. (10.3390/su10082924)
- Pitt, H. 2018. Muddying the waters: what urban waterways reveal about bluespaces and wellbeing. Geoforum 92, pp. 161-170. (10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.04.014)
- Gray, S., Orme, J., Pitt, H. and Jones, M. 2017. Food for life: evaluation of the impact of the Hospital Food Programme in England using a case study approach. JRSM Open 8(10), pp. 1-9. (10.1177/2054270417712703)
- Pitt, H., Jones, M., Oxford, L., Bray, I., Kimberlee, R. and Orme, J. 2017. Association between Food for Life, a whole setting healthy and sustainable food programme, and primary school children's consumption of fruit and vegetables: a cross-sectional study in England. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14(6), article number: 639. (10.3390/ijerph14060639)
- Gray, S., Jones, M., Means, R., Orme, J., Pitt, H. and Salmon, D. 2017. Inter-sectoral transfer of the Food for Life settings framework in England. Health Promotion International (10.1093/heapro/dax017)
- Pitt, H. 2017. Questioning care cultivated through connecting with more-than-human communities. Social and Cultural Geography 19(2), pp. 253-274. (10.1080/14649365.2016.1275753)
- Pitt, H. and Jones, M. 2016. Scaling up and out as a pathway for food system transitions. Sustainability 8(10), article number: 1025. (10.3390/su8101025)
- Gray, S., Means, R., Orme, J., Pitt, H., Jones, M. and Salmon, D. 2015. Improving hospital food: evaluating the impact of the UK Food for Life partnership. European Journal of Public Health 25(S3), pp. -., article number: 380. (10.1093/eurpub/ckv176.018)
- Pitt, H. 2015. On showing and being shown plants - a guide to methods for more-than-human geography. Area 47(1), pp. 48-55. (10.1111/area.12145)
- Pitt, H. 2014. Book review - community gardening as social action. People, Place and Policy Online 8(2), pp. -., article number: 142. (10.3351/ppp.0008.0002.0006)
- Pitt, H. 2014. Therapeutic experiences of community gardens: putting flow in its place. Health and Place 27, pp. 84-91. (10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.02.006)
Book sections
- Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. 2022. Unfamiliar landscapes: an introduction. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1-32., (10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5_1)
- Dunkley, R. A. and Smith, T. A. 2022. Conversations with practitioners 3: Toby Clark. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences. Cham: Palgrave, Macmillan, pp. 515-535.
- Pitt, H. and Smith, T. A. 2022. Conversations with practitioners 2: Phoebe Smith and Dwayne Fields. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences. Cham: Palgrave, Macmillan, pp. 337-362., (10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5_14)
- Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. 2022. Whose unfamiliar landscape? Reflecting on the diversity of young people’s encounters with nature and the outdoors. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences,. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 551-570., (10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5_23)
- Smith, T. A. and Pitt, H. 2022. ‘But, would we be the odd family?’: Encountering and producing unfamiliar bodies and landscapes. In: Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. Unfamiliar Landscapes: Young People and Diverse Outdoor Experiences. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp. 283-308., (10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5_12)
- Pitt, H. 2019. Limits to growth? Why gardening has limited success growing inclusive communities. In: Certoma, C., Noori, S. and Sondermann, M. eds. Urban gardening and the struggle for social and spatial justice. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 108-123., (10.7228/manchester/9781526126092.003.0007)
- Pitt, H. 2019. No ducking, no diving, no running, no pushing: Hydrophobia and urban blue spaces across the life-course. In: Foley, R. et al. eds. Blue Space, Health and Wellbeing: Hydrophilia Unbounded. London: Routledge, (10.4324/9780815359159)
- Pitt, H. 2018. An apprenticeship in plant thinking. In: Bastian, M. et al. eds. Participatory Research in More-than-Human Worlds. London: Routledge
Books
- Pitt, H. 2024. Revaluing horticultural skills The knowledge and labour of growing food. Critical Food Studies. United Kingdom: Routledge.
- Smith, T. A., Pitt, H. and Dunkley, R. A. eds. 2022. Unfamiliar landscapes: young people and diverse outdoor experiences. London: Palgrave Macmillan Cham. (10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5)
Monographs
- Pitt, H. 2024. Training in agro-ecological horticulture: Case studies and delivery models. Project Report. [Online]. Cardiff: Cardiff University School of Geography and Planning. Available at: https://ourfood1200.wales/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Training-in-Agro-ecological-Horticulture-Case-studies-delivery-models-FINAL.pdf
- Craft, R. and Pitt, H. 2022. Exploring opportunities for farmers in Wales to produce foods for future markets.
- Pitt, H. 2022. Horticulture in the UK - Resilience to and beyond pandemic. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2633199/KtoG-Report-Covid-and-Resilience-FINAL.pdf
- Pitt, H. 2022. Horticulture in the UK - Characterising knowledge ecosystems. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2633208/Results-Report-Skills-Ecosystems-FINAL.pdf
- Pitt, H. 2019. Working Paper 1: The state of horticulture in the UK. Working paper. Cardiff University. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/1470203/Working-Paper-1-FINAL-TEXT.pdf
- Pitt, H. 2019. Working Paper 2: The state of skills for UK horticulture. Working paper. Cardiff University. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1527847/Working-Paper-2-FINAL.pdf
- Pitt, H. 2019. Working Paper 3: What is the problem with horticultural skills in the UK?. Working paper. Cardiff University. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1527848/Working-Paper-3-Problem-FINAL.pdf
- Pitt, H. and Smith, T. 2019. Leicester Young Ecology Adventurers: Evaluation Report 2: Final ,. Cardiff: Cardiff University School and Geography and Planning and Sustainable Places Research Institute.
- Pitt, H. 2019. Working Paper 4: What will solve the problem with horticultural skills in the UK?. Working paper. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1527849/Working-Paper-4-Solutions-FINAL.pdf
Thesis
- Pitt, H. 2013. Growing together: an ethnography of community gardening as place making. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
Current priorities
I led the project "Knowing to grow: Increasing the reslience of plant centred food production skills". This research was supported by the Sêr Cymru II programme which is part-funded by Cardiff Univeristy and the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.
Knowledge and skills are essential for growing and producing food; ensuring their future availability is therefore vital for resilient agri-food systems. This project considers how to meet knowledge requirements for future food supply chains, focusing on the case of horticultural production. It will draw on international experiences and stakeholder expertise to inform strategies to enhance food security in Wales and beyond.
Research experience
I led collaborative research between the Canal & Rivers Trust and the Sustainable Places Research Institute to understand reasons people do not access their local waterway, and how they might be encouraged to do so (details here.) This used a selection of case studies centred on different waterways, using participatory techniques to engage various communities.The research builds on previous work for the Trust to examine the socio-environmental impacts of inland waterways in England and Wales, and develop an framework to measure the outcomes.
My background is in human geography and social anthropology with an emphasis on environment and sustainability. I am particularly interested in relationships between community, place, and sustainability. I explore innovative methodologies which enable both people and nonhumans to fully participate in social research, with a focus on plants.
Research projects
- Finding pathways towards transformation of traditional farming in marginal areas, 2021-22
- Resilient Greenspaces, led by Social Farms & Gardens, with Dr Angelina Sanderson Bellamy (UWE Bristol), 2021-2021.
- Evaluation of Food Power, with Dr Ana Moragues-Faus and Dr Andrew Williams (Cardiff University), 2017-2021.
- Rethinking Healthy Spaces, with Dr Des Fitzgerald (Cardiff University), Dr Victoria Bates & Dr Lucy Selman (Bristol University) and Dr Oli Williams (Leicester University), 2017-
- Canal & River Trust Understanding waterways' contribution to community wellbeing, 2018-2019.
- Canal & River Trust Understanding barriers and motivations to accessing waterways, with Prof. Terry Marsden (Cardiff University), 2015-2017
- Leicester Young Ecology Adventurers, research partner, with Dr Thomas Smith (Cardiff University), 2017-2019
- Alliance Homes, Evaluation of Growing Together Project, with Mat Jones (UWE Bristol), 2015-2017
- Garden Organic – Evaluation of Food Growing Schools London, with Mat Jones and Dr Emma Weitkamp (UWE Bristol), 2014-2017
- Food for Life Partnership Phase 2 Evaluation, with Prof. Judy Orme and Mat Jones (UWE Bristol), 2014-2015
- Pembroke 21C Scoping Report for Supporting Sustainable Living, 2011-2012
News
- Findings of the Food Power Evaluation https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/2571109-evaluation-report-on-food-power-programme-released
- Imagining the future of food systems within the Cardiff City Region https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/2472599-online-event-to-discuss-the-future-of-food-systems-within-the-cardiff-city-region
- Growers of fresh produce in Wales feeling the pressure of Covid-19 https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/2369940-growers-of-fresh-produce-in-wales-feeling-the-pressure-of-covid-19
- Data collection tool can help organic market gardeners maximise profitability https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/1718735-data-collection-tool-can-help-organic-market-gardeners-maximise-profitability
- GW4 Researchers tour South West and Wales to ask: what is a healthy space? http://gw4.ac.uk/news/gw4-researchers-tour-south-west-wales-ask-healthy-space/
- Somali families in Leicester engage with waterways, including coverage on BBC East Midlands http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/493149-dirty-drowning-dodgy-people
- Article on children's engagement with nature, The Conversation http://theconversation.com/why-getting-children-to-engage-with-nature-isnt-all-its-cracked-up-to-be-55181
Teaching
- Tutor for Human Geography students on their placement year.
- Lead for final year under-graduate field study visit to Amsterdam.
- Module leader for CPT902 Sustainable Food Systems.
Biography
Education & Qualifications
- PhD Cardiff University School of Geography and Planning, 2014, title "Growing Together: An ethnography of community gardening as place making".
- MSc Sustainability, Planning and Environmental Policy (Distinction), Cardiff University School of Geography and Planning, 2004.
- BSocSc in Social Anthropology (First), Manchester University in 1997.
Honours and awards
- Selected for Robert Bosch Foundation Postdoctoral Academy for Transformational Leadership, 2018-2020 https://www.bosch-stiftung.de/en/project/postdoc-academy-transformational-leadership
- Selected for GW4 Alliance Crucible programme, 2017 http://gw4.ac.uk/gw4-crucible-healthy-living/
Grants Awarded
- Sêr Cymru II Fellowship, Welsh Government/ ERDF, 2018-2021.
- Food Power, co-investigator for independent evaluation, Sustain / Big Lottery Fund, 2017-2021.
- Rethinking Healthy Spaces, GW4 Crucible Seed Funding, co-investigator 2017-2018.
- Cardiff University Research Opportunities Programme, student project Eastern European Migrants’ Experiences of Cardiff’s Greenspaces 2017.
- Leicester Young Ecology Adventurers, research partner, Heritage Lottery Fund, 2017-2018.
- Alliance Homes, co-investigator for independent evaluation, Big Lottery Fund, 2015-2017.
- Garden Organic, co-investigator for independent evaluation, Big Lottery Fund, 2014-2016.
- Pembroke 21C, awarded tender for research, Welsh Government Supporting Sustainable Living fund, 2012.
- Graduate College Cardiff University Interdisciplinary Research Initiatives - co-applicant for grants awarded for conference and seminar, 2011 & 2013.
- Cardiff University President’s Research Scholarship - full PhD funding, 2010.
Professional memberships
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy/ Advance HE, 2021
- Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society with the Institute of British Geographers, 2014-
Academic positions
- 2018-2021 Reserach Fellow, Sustainable Places Research Institute, Cardiff University.
- 2015-2018 Research Associate, Sustainable Places Research Institute, Cardiff University.
- 2014-2015 Research Associate, Institute for Sustainability, Health and Environment, University of the West of England Bristol.
Previous Employment
- External Affairs Officer, National Trust Wales
- Assembly Information Officer, Wales Environment Link
- Volunteer Coordinator, UNA Exchange
Committees and reviewing
- 2015-2017 School representative to Cardiff University Research Staff Association (CURSA).
- 2016- 2018 ATHENA Swan Self Assessment team, School of Geography & Planning
External Committees
- 2016-2019 Trustee, UNA Exchange
- 2010-2013 Wales Advisory Group, Coed Cadw - The Woodland Trust
Supervisions
I am interested in supervising PhD students on topics including:
- knowledge and skills in food systems and production
- relationships between people and plants
- community interactions with green and blue spaces
Current supervision
Contact Details
PittH2@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 29208 79632
Glamorgan Building, Room 2.69, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA
+44 29208 79632
Glamorgan Building, Room 2.69, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA
