Staff Profile

Area of Expertise 

Amy Proctor is a Social Scientist based in the Centre for Rural Economy, within the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at Newcastle University. Her research interests centre upon the challenges and complexities of rural land and livestock management and the knowledge and expertise which underpin this. She is an experienced interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary researcher, leading on projects which bring together novel combinations of disciplines to tackle wicked problems. Amy also has interests in understanding the nature and impact of knowledge exchange within research and how stakeholders engage in this process and to what effect.

Amy's research has focused on agricultural extension and rural expertise. She also has interests in understanding the nature and impact of knowledge exchange within research and how stakeholders engage in this process and to what effect.

Recent Research Projects and Contracts

• Defra Environmental Land Management Scheme Test and Trial: Curlew Contracts, 2019-2020 Co-Investigator
• Natural England England Peatland Strategy: Opportunities & Risks, 2019-2020 Co-Investigator
• EU Environmental Public Good from Farming through effective contract targeting (EFFECT) 2019-2023, Principal Investigator
• Wellcome Trust Farm-level Interdisciplinary approaches to endemic livestock disease (FIELD) 2018-2022 Principal Investigator
• ESRC Centre for the Evaluation of Complexity Across the Nexus (CECAN) 2016-2022 Named Researcher
• Defra Sustainable Intensification Platform Project 2 2014-2017 Co-Investigator

PhD Students

• Cynthia Nneka Olumba (2019-ongoing) 'An analysis of land degradation neutrality interventions in southeast Nigeria'
• Naomi Oakley (2020-ongoing, PT) 'Social opportunities and barriers to regenerative land management on England's upland peatlands' 
• Nur Bahiah Mohamed Harris (awarded 2019)

Amy leads and contributes to teaching across a range of degree programmes within SNES. She is module leader for the Stage 1 'Sustainability in Practice' module (NES1100). Amy also contributes to teaching on the Stage 2 modules 'Sustainable Solutions' (NES2202) and 'Site Management & Communication Skills' (NES2104).

Amy also acts as Stage 3 dissertation supervisor for Sustainable Land & Business Management and Agri-Business Management Students.

• Articles

  • Mahon N, Finan S, Holloway L, Clark B, Proctor A. Making a mark on the farm: the marks and traces of farm animals and infectious diseases in northern England. Scottish Geographical Journal 2024, 140(3-4), 508-532.
  • Holloway L, Mahon N, Clark B, Proctor A. Lively commodities and endemic diseases: Shifting commodity situations and nonhuman disability in cattle and sheep on UK farms. Journal of Rural Studies 2024, 110, 103367.
  • Holloway L, Mahon N, Clark B, Proctor A. Interspecies encounters with endemic health conditions: Co-producing BVD and lameness with cows and sheep in the north of England. Sociologia Ruralis 2024, 64(2), 180-201.
  • Clark B, Proctor A, Mahon N, Holloway L. Exploring farmer and advisor lameness management behaviours using the COM-B model of behaviour change. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2024, 11, 1258906.
  • Clark B, Proctor A, Boaitey A, Mahon N, Hanley N, Holloway L. Animal health and welfare as a public good: what do the public think?. Agriculture and Human Values 2024, ePub ahead of Print.
  • Mahon N, Holloway L, Clark B, Proctor A. The application of a sentiment analysis approach to explore public understandings of animal agriculture. Journal of Rural Studies 2023, 103, 103127.
  • Holloway L, Mahon N, Clark B, Proctor A. Living with cows, sheep and endemic disease in the North of England: Embodied care, biosocial collectivities and killability. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space 2023, 6(2), 1278-1298.
  • Holloway L, Mahon N, Clark B, Proctor A. Changing interventions in farm animal health and welfare: A governmentality approach to the case of lameness. Journal of Rural Studies 2023, 97, 95-104.
  • Mahon N, Clark B, Proctor A, Holloway L. Exploring farmers’ understanding of and responses to endemic animal health and welfare issues in the UK. Veterinary Record 2021, 189(10), e941.
  • Barbrook-Johnson P, Proctor A, Giorgi S, Phillipson J. How do policy evaluators understand complexity?. Evaluation 2020, 26(3), 315-332.
  • Lowe P, Phillipson J, Proctor A, Gkartzios M. Expertise in Rural Development: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis. World Development 2019, 116, 28-37.
  • Phillipson J, Proctor A, Emery S, Lowe P. Performing Inter-Professional Expertise in Rural Advisory Networks. Land Use Policy 2016, 54, 321-330.
  • Klerkx L, Proctor A. Beyond fragmentation and disconnect: Networks for knowledge exchange in the English land management advisory system. Land Use Policy 2013, 30(1), 13-24.
  • Phillipson J, Lowe P, Proctor A, Ruto E. Stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange in environmental research. Journal of Environmental Management 2012, 95(1), 56-65.
  • Proctor A, Donaldson A, Phillipson J, Lowe P. Field expertise in rural land management. Environment and Planning A 2012, 44(7), 1696-1711.
  • Enticott G, Donaldson A, Lowe P, Power M, Proctor A, Wilkinson K. The changing role of veterinary expertise in the food chain. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 2011, 366(1573), 1955-1965.
  • Proctor A, Phillipson J, Lowe P, Donaldson A. Ecologists as Farm Advisors: Using Knowledge gained on the job. In Practice 2011, 74, 16-18.
  • Gibbs D, Deutz P, Proctor A. Industrial Ecology and Eco-industrial Development: A Potential Paradigm for Local and Regional Development?. Regional Studies 2005, 39(2), 171-183.

• Book Chapters

  • Phillipson J, Proctor A, Lowe P, Donaldson A. Veterinary Field Expertise and Knowledge Exchange. In: Henry, C, ed. Veterinary Business and Enterprise: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Cases. Saunders Ltd, 2013. In Press.
  • Mangan J, Proctor A, Gibbs D. External influences on the Humber Estuary ports, the largest concentration of activity in the UK. In: Notteboom, T; Ducret, C; de Langen, P, ed. Ports in Proximity: Competition and Coordination among Adjacent Seaports. Surrey: Ashgate, 2009, pp.225-233.

• Reports

  • Reed MS, Kenter JO, Hansda R, Martin J, Curtis T, Prior S, Hay M, Saxby H, Mills L, Post J, Garrod G, Proctor A, Collins O, Guy JA, Stewart G, Whittingham M. Social barriers and opportunities to the implementation of the England Peat Strategy : Final report. Newcastle upon Tyne: Natural England and Defra, Newcastle University, 2020.
  • Proctor A, Phillipson J, Palmer C. What role will there be for advisers in post-Brexit land management?. Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle University, 2018. Rural Economy and Land Use Policy and Practice Note Series No.4.
  • Proctor A, Greaves J. Evaluating Complexity in Context using Qualitative Comparative Analysis: The Environment Agency and Waste Crime. Surrey: CECAN, 2018. Evaluation Policy and Practice Note 11.
  • Phillipson J, Proctor A, Lowe P. Strengthening the links between the UK strategy for agricultural technologies and farm advisory professions. Natural Environment Research Council: Living with Environmental Change, 2014. LWEC Policy and Practice Notes Series 12.
  • Phillipson J, Proctor A. Could advisers of land managers work more effectively across professions?. Swindon: Living with Environmental Change, 2013. LWEC Policy and Pratice Notes Series 3.
  • Proctor A, Lowe P, Phillipson J, Donaldson A. Veterinary field expertise: using knowledge gained on the job. London: British Veterinary Association, 2011. Veterinary Record.
  • Proctor A, Phillipson J, Lowe P, Donaldson A. Field Advisers as Agents of Knowledge Exchange. University of Newcastle upon Tyne: Rural Economy and Land Use Programme, 2011. Rural Economy and Land Use Programme Policy and Practice Note Series 30.
  • Phillipson J, Liddon A, Proctor A. Telling Stories: Accounting for Knowledge Exchange. Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, 2010. Rural Economy and Land Use Programme Briefing Paper 10.