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Meredith Niles

0000-0002-8323-1351

Assistant Professor (Nutrition and dietetics not elsewhere classified)

Burlington, VT

Meredith Niles joins the Nutrition and Food Sciences Department as an assistant professor and faculty with the UVM Food Systems Program after completing a post-doctorate fellowship in sustainability science at Harvard University. Meredith examines food systems sustainability and policy with a focus on food security and climate change and farmer behavior and policy perceptions. Meredith thrives conducting applied research that can help bring together diverse stakeholders- whether on a farm or working with policymakers- to help solve pressing problems facing our world's food system. Meredith is a passionate advocate for open access research to make research more publicly available to maximize the potential of science and its benefits for society. Meredith is a multi-disciplinary food systems scientist with training in political science, ecology, and agriculture and professional experience working for the US State Department, consulting and non-profit organizations. She bridges research of the natural and social sciences with a focus on farmer adoption of new practices and technologies related to environmental and economic sustainability and farmer perceptions and responses to food and agricultural policies. Meredith's dissertation work focused on farmer perceptions of climate change, adoption of climate mitigation and adaptation practices, and farmer responses to climate change policies among California and New Zealand farmers. Her post-doctorate work examined how climate shocks on smallholder farmers in the developing world influenced food security across 14 countries and how integrated crop and livestock systems can provide economic, environmental and production benefits for farmers and society. Meredith's current work continues to focus on agricultural responses and perceptions to climate change and food system policies. Her work on integrated crop and livestock systems and their potential benefits, costs and barriers to adoption is focused on case studies in dairy integration with pasture and crop systems, beef and sheep integration with pasture and crop systems, and sheep integration into vineyards. She also continues to work on assessing how climate change has and will continue to influence smallholder farmers in the developing world and global food security. Meredith works extensively in New Zealand as a frequent visiting scientist with AgResearch, New Zealand's largest Crown Research Institute focused on pasture-based agriculture.

Publications

  • Extension 3.0: Managing Agricultural Knowledge Systems in the Network Age DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2014.933496
  • Perceptions and responses to climate policy risks among california farmers DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.08.005
  • Achieving social sustainability in animal agriculture: challenges and opportunities to reconcile multiple sustainability goals. DOI: 10.1079/9781780640426.0193
  • Integrative Frontiers in Environmental Policy Theory and Research DOI: 10.1111/j.1541-0072.2012.00445.x
  • Global and Local Concerns: What Attitudes and Beliefs Motivate Farmers to Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change? DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052882
  • How Limiting Factors Drive Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change doi:10.1016/j.agee.2014.11.010

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