Integration of Social and Natural Sciences to Develop Improved Tools for Assessing and Managing Food Chain Risks Affecting the Rural Economy

A key concept within risk management is uncertainty. Uncertainties must be handled both at a statistical level, within technical risk assessment and exposure models, and should also be expressed as part of the two-way interaction between modellers and stakeholders that is central to the risk management process. Stakeholders may vary from specialist risk managers through to members of the public. In many situations integration of the best available modelling of technical risk with social science inputs from participation processes, consumer behaviour studies and effective risk communications has been absent. <P>
This project will be based on three case studies representing different types of risks: chemical contamination, microbial contamination and a crisis scenario. At a technical level procedures will be used to model not only the risk to members of the public but also to develop measures of the uncertainties by taking account of interactions throughout the food chain and the likely impact of risk information on stakeholder and consumer behaviours. <P>
The best ways of communicating risks both to members of the public and risk managers will be investigated and throughout the research stakeholder groups will be directly involved both to define the interfaces needed and to evaluate the outcomes from the project. In particular the project will explore impacts of risk assessments, and their communications, with respect to food production in rural communities.