PhD Spotlight: Claren Copp-LaRocque

Promoting sustainable farming transitions

My doctoral research examines how climate change–induced loss and damage is experienced, governed, and doctoral research focuses on understanding the farmer experience of transitioning to sustainable practices, not just the technical or economic dimensions, but the social and personal ones. I’m particularly interested in how policy frameworks and regulations shape on-the-ground decision-making, and I use agent-based modelling to explore how social dynamics influence adoption across farming communities.

“Agricultural transitions aren’t just about changing practices; they’re about navigating relationships, community, and identity.”

Navigating relationships and identities

I grew up on a ranch in southern Alberta, where my family experimented with sustainable practices. I loved the landscape I was raised in, but I was also acutely aware of the social impact of operating differently from our neighbours. That experience gave me an early understanding that agricultural transitions aren’t just about changing practices; they’re about navigating relationships, community, and identity.

Understanding the human dimension agricultural change

I hope my work can eventually inform policies that make sustainable transitions more feasible and less socially costly for farmers. I’m particularly interested in how we might design programs and support systems that acknowledge the relational dimensions of agricultural change, not just the economic or technical barriers, but the human ones. Ultimately, I want my research to be useful to the people navigating these decisions on the ground.