Tim Pittaway

Social Researcher in Rural Digitalisation
Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences
T: +44 (0)344 928 5428 (*)

Tim is a Social Researcher in Rural Digitalisation within James Hutton Institute, working in the Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences Group (SEGS) department. SEGS represents the fields of economics, geography, politics, sociology, anthropology, and psychology.

Tim has a background in rural agriculture; sustainable livelihoods; agricultural technology; small-scale farming, and food security. He has been involved with Erasmus+ and Horizon programmes, which have provided collaborative and research experience with UK and European institutions.

Before joining the James Hutton Institute, he conducted several research projects on Southern African subsistence farmers’ production, small-scale farming and indigenous agriculture practices. During his academic career, he was involved in conservation agriculture and agriculture-related export industries. Tim is interested in the impact of connecting land, people and the environment.

  • User-friendly approaches and methods of technologies applied in agriculture knowledge and innovation systems.
  • The benefits and costs of farm technology.
  • Nature-based solution governance techniques and models.

 

Past research

  • Socio-economic importance of indigenous vegetables in rural livelihoods.
  • Supply chain participation for small-scale ostrich farmers.

  • Smal-scale farmers’ required compliance in the beef value chain in Southern Africa.

  • Social networking for small-scale farms extension support.

Lecturing and postgraduate supervision

Tim was previously a senior lecturer and postgraduate supervisor in the Agriculture Management Department at Nelson Mandela University.