PhD researcher Bethan John is inviting farmers across West Wales to take part in a community-led research project that tackles the complex challenges facing rural communities today — from economic uncertainty and food security to climate change.
Through creative storytelling and filmmaking workshops, Bethan aims to bring farmers and environmentalists together to share lived experiences and co-create solutions that reflect the realities of farming in a time of overlapping crises.
In running the workshops, Bethan’s aim is to create space and time to explore a diversity of views and experiences, building on common ground and collective problem-solving.
The outcome of the project will be the co-creation of a community-made film or series of films, which capture the voices and vision of farmers and environmentalists, in all the complexity, nuance and richness of real-life experiences.
A Collaborative Approach to Rural Resilience
The research project, which aims to explore the issues that are impacting rural communities in West Wales, is a partnership between CAT’s Graduate School, Aberystwyth University and Cardiff University, and is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
The project will be using co-production and creative methods to gain insights into the issues that are most relevant to the participants, with the aim of creating policy impact.
The collaborative element of this project will start this autumn, when Bethan will be running a series of storytelling and filmmaking workshops with farmers in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
Storytelling and Filmmaking: Tools for Change
There’s a wealth of academic research that demonstrates the importance of storytelling and creative expression, as a way of reflecting on and engaging with complex issues that can help solve real-world problems.
CAT Senior Lecturer and project supervisor, Dr Cathy Cole says “collective storytelling can act as a bridge to enable cooperative solutions to emerge. This may be particularly important in the context of farming, where media narratives are often divisive. Participants in this study care deeply about the land, and this is powerful common ground.”
The storytelling and filmmaking workshops will be made up of a small group and they will be facilitated in Welsh and English. The group will be guided through a variety of activities that will generate ideas and discussions, while being trained in storytelling and filmmaking skills. No prior experience is needed, as participants will receive full training during the workshops.
The first set of workshops are:
- Bancyfelin Village Hall, Wednesday 1st October 2025, 5.30-8.30pm
- Crymych Market Hall, Thursday 2nd October 2025, 5.30-8.30pm
The benefits of joining the workshops include:
- Free training in filmmaking so that you can tell your story
- A chance to meet other farmers to discuss ideas
- Space and time to share your views, knowledge and experiences on issues that are important to you
Bethan is looking for people from farming backgrounds to get involved in the workshops and is collecting interest via this short online form.
Rooted in Rural Wales
Having grown up in a rural farming community near Carmarthen, Bethan now lives in North Pembrokeshire. She’s spent her career capturing the stories of communities and the complex social, cultural, economic and political issues that they face, while trying to navigate and adapt to the ecological and climate crisis. She is interested in how community-based knowledge and grassroots action can drive change.
“There is a wealth of expertise within the rural communities where I live. One of the aims of this project is to capture and value this knowledge, while exploring a diversity of views and lived experiences to see if solutions emerge”, Bethan explains.
So far, she has completed a series of interviews with farmers and environmentalists to explore opportunities, challenges and tensions, especially in relation to the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).
The interviews gave participants the opportunity to share their views on the issues anonymously and in a private one-to-one setting. The themes that emerged from the interviews inform the development of the workshops’ group work and are a part of the project’s multi-method approach, with the purpose of undertaking triangulation to strength validity claims and to overcome weaknesses with relying on one method.
If you would like to participate in the project but are unable to make the workshops, get in touch with Bethan (email bsj3@aber.ac.uk or phone 07495999579) to discuss other options that would suit you.
Find out more about CAT’s Graduate School
CAT’s Graduate School is one of the foremost providers of postgraduate education in sustainability and offers a number of Masters level courses which allow students to gain knowledge, inspiration and networks to make a real difference.
Find out more about postgraduate study at CAT by joining an upcoming open day or get in touch with our Admissions Team email study@cat.org.uk or phone 01654 705974
