John Davis

Biography

I am a sustainable development pracademic with experience in development practice, teaching and research. My passion for sustainable development is motivated by concerns for justice – that applies across communities, generations and species. I have worked for government, non-government organisations and Universities, in Asia and Australia. I received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and a Masters in Science in Natural Resources Management from the University of Western Australia. In 2015 I was awarded a PhD from Murdoch University for my thesis on coastal and marine stewardship in Western Australia. I retain my strong interest in natural sciences, although my work has increasingly taken me into economics, social sciences and ethics. In the past 15 years I have taught in a number of units within the broad scope of sustainable development. I contributed to the development of new degrees, including the Bachelor of Arts in International Aid and Development. My research interests include questions of how government environmental policies can enable and empower community stewardship, and what it takes to safeguard commons, whether local or global. My most recent research project with colleagues at Murdoch University is a partnership between CRS Southern Africa and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources. We are evaluating projects which help smallholder farmers in Zambia and Malawi become more resilient through more beneficial engagement with markets.

Research Interest

I am interested in the challenges of sustainable development (particularly in relation to international aid, rural development and natural resource management), as seen from interdisciplinary perspectives. My research interests focus on the role of community-based institutions and interventions. Examples include Landcare and marine and coastal policy. I have attracted small research grants for projects ranging from implications of global warming for Australia’s Aid Program, to the adoption of new legumes in Western Australian farming systems. I contributed to an ACIAR funded project relating to agricultural sustainability in communal land of South Africa’s Eastern Cape.