Building connections

Here I am on a Friday scratching my head wondering how on Earth to start this blog. I have been in post for approx. 7 months and I am still figuring out how to balance it all, not only is it a question of how to balance work and personal life but it is also a question of how to balance all of the visible and invisible work that comes with a new job role, learning new structures and processes and finding my space as an academic.

My role in work package one (WP1) is one that focuses on building relationships and connections to develop a community and to understand the modes of community engagement. Not a simple task, nor one to be underestimated. Of course, it takes time to build any kind of relationship, and when we are working in an environment where most, if not all, individuals are faced with competing asks for their time it can be hard to connect and form meaningful relationships. However, we are fortunate that we have already built several strong working relationships that are forming the foundations of our work. These individuals are willing to contribute where appropriate and this contribution can take many different shapes, whether it is making an introduction to a broader community or providing insight into the flows to inform modelling in work package two.

Going back to my role in WP1 where I am focused on forming connections with broad representative actors within the apple supply chain, we have worked to shed light onto the range of actors within the supply chain. We have also worked to form connections across the supply chain and here I note that forming connections requires the headspace to meaningfully engage with others and a degree of compassion to recognise when individuals are at their limit and to step back. It is easy enough to recognise that during harvest season apple growers will be at their limit, but there will be other realities that soak up each individual’s headspace and capacity to engage with a research project, when their bottom line is increasingly at risk. This is something I have become increasingly aware of both prior to and during the project, for having conversations with individuals in which they share with you that they are considering closing up their operations, selling their farm or telling you of things happening in their personal life is hard. It is hard to hear, and even harder to know this is the reality for many members of the farming community and for the broader community. In these moments I am forever reminded of my privilege, I have stability and security in my personal and professional life that is often not the case for others.

Cows grazing on the fields at a local agricultural college

It has been important to be mindful of these realities in my work as part of WP1. Forming connections and relationships is undoubtedly important to achieve the research project aims and objectives, and whilst we are fortunate to have committed project partners that are supportive of our ambitions, we must remember that our research project is not their sole priority. We are an additional ask to an otherwise stretched capacity. This has manifested itself in challenges of engaging not only project partners but broader actors, in addressing this challenge we have made space for engagement that can take many different forms, from online workshops to phone calls, to individual site visits, to minimise the burden of engagement and create space such that engagement is realistic and possible.

Turning inward towards my own role within the project I reflect that I have been, and still am, working hard to find my voice, to remember that I am deserving of having an opinion and being heard. I am fortunate to have supportive mentors that have given me the space to find my voice, and I recognise that there is still work for me to do in using my voice. I have always positioned myself as open to opportunities, saying yes to making the trip to see a new connection, to attend a networking event, or to deliver a research presentation. Such tasks are important not only to the project but also to my experience as an independent academic yet often I underestimate the mental load of committing myself to more events.

A picture of me post attending a grower led industry conference reflecting  how wonderful it is to be surrounded by growers!

However, I have, and still am, bringing an open mindset with me throughout the project and my broader responsibilities, whilst also being mindful that there is in fact a limit to what I can do, and how much I can reasonably commit to. And this holds true not just for me, but for our project partners and broader community actors. =

Now, back to figuring out how to survive the next semester of teaching!