Dr Sarah Cardey
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+44 (0) 118 378 6594
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Associate Professor of International Development
- School Director of International Partnerships and Recruitment
- Programme Director for MSc Applied International Development
- Programme Director for MSc Communication for Development
- Teaching: Concepts and Practices of Communication; Poverty, Inequality and Social Policy; Traditional Ecological Knowledges; Research Methods for Development
Areas of interest
Communication for Development
Gender, inequalities and social inclusion and exclusion
Knowledge, communication and innovation systems in agriculture
Extension systems in smallholder agriculture
Rural communication services
Livelihoods and governance of knowledge and participation
She is interested in policy-practice linkages, research into practice, and multidisciplinary approaches to development challenges.
Postgraduate supervision
Dr Cardey will consider PhD applications in the following research areas:
- Gender and development
- Development communication, including communication and social change, innovation systems, and the intersection between gender and inequalities and communication
- Extension systems and innovation systems in smallholder agriculture
- Rural livelihoods
Research centres and groups
- Global Development Research Division
- Visiting professor, University of the Philippines Los Banos
- Visiting professor, Tokyo Agricultural University
- Adjunct professor, Mahidol University
Research projects
Selected research projects
Knowledge and Innovation for Advisory Services in Regenerative Agriculture, 2025 - 2027 (EIT Food)
Rural Communication for Equitable Food Security and Environmental Change in Southeast Asia, 2024 – 2025 (ISPF ODA)
Supporting collaboration with National University of Life and Environmental Science of Ukraine, 2024 (BBSRC International Partnerships)
Capacity building of Ukrainian researchers for sustainable livelihoods: socio-economic development, 2022 - 2024 (UUK/UKRI)
Supporting Women's Leadership in Education, 2023-2024 (British Council)
Promoting Sustainable Development Goals through Society Design and Development Initiatives – The Case of Sea Level Rise and Environmental Change in Thailand with Mahidol University, 2023 – 2024 (British Council)
Participatory photography teaching and research with Mahidol University, 2022-2023 (British Council)
Society Design and Development Programme with Mahidol University, 2021-2022 (British Council)
Understanding the biophysical processes and extension mechanisms of Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) to support its wider application, 2019 - 2024 (GCRF)
Sustaining and innovating marginalised rural livelihood pathways in development contexts, 2018 – 2020 (ESRC)
Local approaches to supporting agricultural productivity and managing impacts of climate variability and change in indigenous communities in Aurora, Philippines, 2017 - 2019 (Newton Fund)
Evaluation methods for rural communication services, 2015 (FAO)
Innovation systems, agricultural growth and rural livelihoods in East Africa, 2012 - 2014 (ESRC/DFID)
Food security and poverty alleviation under changing environmental conditions: Challenges and opportunities in Sudan, 2011 (IIF/RETF/UNDP)
Gender in HIV/AIDS communication policy and practice in Nairobi, Kenya, 2011 - 2012 (British Academy)
Edutainment theory and practice in HIV/AIDS communication, 2011 - 2012 (British Academy/ACU)
Background
I am an interdisciplinary social scientist who specializes in communication for development, gender and inequalities, and knowledge systems in agriculture. My current work focuses on central themes of communication and social change, knowledge and information systems in small and medium scale agriculture, and gender and inequalities. I am interested in questions around the role of communication and knowledge systems in equitable food systems in the context of environmental change. In my role as School Director of International Partnerships, I work on building strong, sustainable partnerships with global institutions who share common strategies and visions with the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development.
I am a Senior Fellow of Advance HE. I have served as external examiner for postgraduate programmes and PhDs across the UK, Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Prior to joining the University of Reading, I worked in the non-governmental sector in development communication and HIV/AIDS communication in Canada and the Caribbean.
Academic qualifications
2012 PG Cert Academic Practice (University of Reading)
2010 PhD International and Rural Development (University of Reading)
2005 MSc Rural Extension Studies (University of Guelph)
2000 BA (hons) International Relations (Mount Allison University)
Professional bodies/affiliations
- Editorial Advisory Boards: Media Asia (2020 - present); Advancements in Agricultural Development (2022 – present)
- Publications Committee, International Association for Media and Communication Research (2020 - present)
- Co-chair, Working Group on Rural Communication; International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) (2018 - Present)
- Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy
- Member of the Global Research Initiative on Rural Communication, a consortium of academics from the University of Guelph, Wageningen University, University of Queensland, and the University of the Philippines Los Banos, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.