Leaf has announced the launch of its new The Leaf Caroline Drummond Scholarship for Innovation in Sustainability.
The scholarship is named in recognition of the legacy of the sustainable farming organisation’s founder and former CEO Caroline Drummond, who led the organisation from its inception in 1991 until her death in May 2022.
Drummond was described as an “inspirational thinker, innovator, collaborater and communicator” by Philip Wynn, Leaf chair.
He added: “She was a catalyst of great change and pivotal in driving forward more sustainable, regenerative and climate positive farming – both in the UK and globally.
“We are delighted to have set up this new scholarship in her name,” said Wynn. “By supporting scholars, we will further add to the body of research contributing to the more widespread practice of [integrated farming management] at an increasingly global scale along with its ongoing development in addressing current climate change challenges.”
The scholarship will support innovations that are judged by a panel of specialists as having the potential to facilitate the adoption of commercially and environmentally sustainable farming and food production, at pace and scale.
Applications will be open to researchers or developers from universities, institutes, commercial companies and startup enterprises, farmers and individuals from relevant non-profit organisations and charities.
“This important scholarship programme will help ensure that her legacy lives on by supporting the next generation of thinkers, practitioners, and innovators,” said Jake Freestone, Leaf demonstration farmer and farm manager at Overbury Enterprises. “It will enable cutting-edge and practical research into more sustainable farming to be undertaken, work that will make a real difference as farmers meet the challenges of feeding, fuelling, and protecting the world against a background of climate change.”
The organisation is looking for partners who share Drummond’s vision of a commercially vibrant farming sector with sustainability at its core, to support the future development of the scholarship fund and the work of Leaf.
The scholarship will open for applications in March 2024 and will support individuals and organisations to carry out pioneering research and innovative projects that advance more sustainable farming practices, which can be adopted and replicated at scale.
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