Seth Cook

Senior researcher, Natural Resources

Seth Cook's current work focuses on sustainable agriculture and food systems, as well as China-related projects.

Full biography

His areas of expert knowledge include natural resource management, agriculture, energy and ethnographic research methods. He has worked in China on programmes that promoted sustainable development and environmental good practice.

Expertise

Natural resource management, agriculture, energy, ethnographic research methods, project management.

Before IIED

Operations director, China for a Global Shift Initiative, WWF China
China programme coordinator (Beijing office head), IUCN China Programme
Consultant for WWF and IUCN

Education:

PhD Environmental Studies, Yale University
MA Environmental Studies, Yale University
MA International Relations, Yale University
BA Asian Studies, Amherst College

Current work

Sustainable agriculture and food systems, China related projects

Interviews

IIED expert interviews: Seth Cook

Seth Cook's projects

A farmer in Bangladesh who produces vermi-compost to fertilise her crops (Photo: Seth Cook/IIED)

Upscaling agroecological practices

Project, Jan 2017

A snack store in Bandung, Indonesia (Photo: Ikhlasul Amal, Creative Commons via Flickr)

Sustainable diets for all

Project, Oct 2016

Harvesting leaves from a forest in Hunan, China (Photo: Simon Lim)

Sharing China's lessons

Project, Apr 2015

The timber depot of a Chinese-owned timber concession licensed to operate in Nampula, Mozambique (Photo: Mike Goldwater)

China Going Global – in Africa

Project, Apr 2015

Rice terraces in Changjiang Valley, China (Photo: Gabriele Quaglia)

Our China work

Project, Aug 2013

Recent publications

Towards legal and sustainable investments by China in Africa’s forests

The spice of life: the fundamental role of diversity on the farm and on the plate

Nourishing diversity: A five-point plan to enrich our food systems

Collaborative action on soil fertility in South Asia: experiences from Bangladesh and Nepal

Fertile ground: harnessing the market to reverse soil degradation in South Asia

Fertile futures: nurturing the shoots of China’s sustainable agriculture

Seth Cook's blog posts

Smallholder farmer with pumpkins she harvested in her maize field in Chongwe, Zambia (Photo: Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

We need to safeguard biodiversity and promote diverse diets

Blog, May 2018

A huge selection of photos are displayed in a Peru supermarket (Photo: Teresa Stanton, Creative Commons, via Flickr)

Nourishing diversity in our food systems

Blog, Oct 2017

A Zambian farmer in his maize field. The overdependence on maize is having a negative impact on diets in Zambia (Photo: Wesley Wakunuma)

Promoting diversity on the farm – and the plate

Blog, Jun 2017

The fruit market is dominated by a small number of varieties that can withstand long distance shipping and meet supermarket demands for uniformity (Photo: Dirk Loop, Creative Commons via Flickr)

Why food diversity must be on the menu

Blog, Oct 2016

Women harvesting vegetables in Shanggula village, Guangxi province, China, can share lessons on sustainable farming with the rest of the world (Photo: Simon Lim)

Nurturing the shoots of China's sustainable agriculture

Blog, Mar 2016

A farmer in a buckwheat field close to harvest time in Gansu Province, China. The country's agriculture is currently facing major environmental challenges (Photo: Han Jianping)

Sustainable agriculture in China: then and now

Blog, Mar 2015