Potato Review

30 POTATO REVIEW JULY/AUGUST 2022 OBE HONOURS D OCTOR Jenna Ross, a Nuffield Farming Scholar, Oxford Farming Conference Director, Lantra Scotland Industry Champion, STEM Ambassador and award-winning scientist, received an OBE in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours list for her contribution to agriculture and science. Growing up in Tarland, Aberdeenshire, on her family farm, Jenna has dedicated her career to finding innovative solutions in agriculture. With a PhD in Environmental Science, focused on developing biological control agents for molluscs (slugs and snails), she is now a world-renowned malacologist and nematologist and hugely active both in the farming and scientific community. In 2017, Jenna was awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship and spent 26 weeks travelling the world gathering data about slugs, and studying their economic risk, exploring monitoring systems, and Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours: Dr Jenna Ross receives OBE investigating existing and future control options. The findings of her study, sponsored by AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds and RHASS, were published in her report, ‘Riding the Slime Wave: Gathering Global Data on Slug Control’. Since finishing her studies, Jenna remains active in the Trust, serving as past Secretary for Nuffield Scotland and is the current Chair of the Scotland Regional group, where she works to recruit new scholars and promote Nuffield within the industry. She is a STEM Ambassador and Lantra Scotland Industry Champion and is a voluntary director for the Oxford Farming Conference. Jenna is also highly proactive in her role on leading international development for UK agri-tech innovation centre, Crop Health and Protection (CHAP). Here her work includes overseeing innovation projects such as SlugBot – an autonomous slug monitoring and bio-molluscicide treatment system. Other highlights include driving two projects to improve agronomy and crop production in India and managing a UK-Kenya collaboration to help growers overcome potato cyst nematode. Jenna has presented many times at leading industry events and conferences such as REAP, AHDB, Nuffield Farming, CARAS, Lantra, IOBC, SIP and ICN. Jenna said: “It’s a privilege to get up every morning and do something that I truly love. Coming from generations of farmers on both sides of my family means that agriculture well and truly flows through my blood. It’s an honour to work with so many amazing organisations in the sector, and of course, as a scientist, to develop game changing innovative and sustainable solutions for agriculture that deliver economic, environmental and societal impact.” P ROFESSOR Janet Dwyer from the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) based at University of Gloucestershire has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her services to rural research over more than three decades. She said: “I hopemy award helps to inspire other researchers, particularly younger colleagues, to understand and recognise the impact and significance that their work can have.” Janet has undertaken rural research for more than 35 years, beginning with her PhD examining the contrasting impact of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on rural conservation inWales and Normandy. Working at the Institute for European Environmental Policy from1998-2002, she undertook numerous evaluations of agri- environment and rural development policies which enabled European and UK policymakers to better understand how their programmes were experienced by farmers across Europe. C HARLOTTEMorton, Chief Executive of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) has received an OBE for services to the Development of the Biogas Industry. Charlotte addressed the COP26 conference inGlasgow last year to promote the value of AD as a solution to climate change, a technology that can usher a new, sustainable era inwastemanagement and produce valuable bioresources for energy, transport, agriculture, and food production – highlighting, in particular, the critical role AD can play in reducingmethane emissions. She has campaigned hard to raise awareness of how anaerobic digestion (AD) technology can recycle agricultural and other organic waste into a green gas (biogas/biomethane), a biofertiliser (digestate), bioCO 2 and other valuable bioproducts. Looking to inspire other researchers Shemoved to theCCRI at theUniversity in 2002, where she has continuedherwork inpolicy analysis anddevelopment, embracing research on social and environmental sustainability and resilience in the agri-rural domain. Currently, she isworking onUK rural enterprise and innovation in theNational InnovationCentre for Rural Enterprise programmewith colleagues at Newcastle andWarwickUniversities, aswell as advising the government ofMalta on its future agriculture and rural policy. She is helping theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment to develop more synergies between trade, agriculture and rural policies andworking to improve understanding of how traditional upland farming systems canbettermeet future sustainability and climate challenges. She advisesGreenAlliance, the Food, Farming andCountrysideCommission and Defra on rural and agricultural issues, and is aDirector of Rural EnglandCIC. Championing the cause of AD