PhD Research Project

Share your views and experiences of environmental and climate policies in Wales

A new project is seeking to hear from farmers on how agriculture can ensure food security, build community connection and resilience, overcome economic insecurity, while helping to tackle the ecological and climate crisis. 

PhD researcher, Bethan John, is working to set up a collaborative research project with farmers and environmentalists to explore the issues that are impacting rural communities in West Wales.  

Through running a series of storytelling and filmmaking workshops, the aim is to create space and time to explore a diversity of views and experiences, building on common ground and collectively problem-solving. 

The project will be community-led, using co-production and creative methods to gain insights into the issues that are most relevant to the participants, with the aim of creating policy impact.  

The outcome of the project will be the co-creation of a community-made film or series of films, which capture the voices and vision of farmers and environmentalist, in all the complexity, nuance and richness of real-life experiences. 

The researcher, Bethan, grew up in a rural farming community near Carmarthen, in West Wales, and now lives in North Pembrokeshire. She’s spent her career capturing the stories of communities and the complex social, cultural, economic and political issues that they face, while trying to navigate and adapt to the ecological and climate crisis. She is interested in how community-based knowledge and grassroots action can drive change. 

“There is a wealth of expertise within the rural communities where I live. One of the aims of this project is to capture and value this knowledge, while exploring a diversity of views and lived experiences to see if solutions emerge”, Bethan explains. 

So far, she has completed a series of interviews with farmers and environmentalists to explore opportunities, challenges and tensions, especially in relation to the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).  

The collaborative element of this project will start this autumn, when Bethan will be running a series of storytelling and filmmaking workshops with farmers in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.  

Bethan said: “When I read in the news about issues facing farmers and environmentalists, I often find it polarizing and divisive. Of course, there may be areas of disagreement, but widespread misinformation and conflict-driven media coverage can oversimplify these issues, creating a sense of overwhelm or defeatism, and this could be limiting our ability to visualise and build solutions.”  

There’s a wealth of academic research that demonstrates the importance of storytelling and creative expression, as a way of reflecting on and engaging with complex issues that can help solve real-world problems. 

The workshops will be made up of a small group and they will be facilitated bilingually. The group will be guided through a variety of activities that will generate ideas and discussions, while being trained in storytelling and filmmaking skills. No prior experience is needed, as participants will receive full training during the workshops. 

The benefits in joining the workshops include: 

If you are a farmer or from a farming background and interested in getting involved, please complete this short online form or contact Bethan for more information: bsj3@aber.ac.uk and 07495999579 

The first set of workshops are: 

• Bancyfelin Village Hall, Wednesday 1^st October 2025, 5.30-8.30pm 

• Crymych Market Hall, Thursday 2^nd October 2025, 5.30-8.30pm

If you can’t make it at the above locations or dates but would like to participate, get in touch with Bethan to discuss other options that would suit you.  

This project is a collaboration between the Centre for Alternative Technology, Aberystwyth University, Cardiff University, and is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).