Contact Daniel Sandars
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 750111
- Email: daniel.sandars@cranfield.ac.uk
- Twitter: @sandars
- ORCID
- Google Scholar
Areas of expertise
- Computing, Simulation & Modelling
- Digital Agriculture
- Sustainable Land Systems
Background
Professional recognition and accreditation:
Chartered Environmental (CEnv) registered as a Member of the Institute of Agricultural Management (MIAgrM)
Associate Fellow of the Operational Research Society (AFORS)
Competent Communicator (CC) within Toastmasters International.
Qualifications:
MSc, Operational Research, 2004, University of Hertfordshire
MSc, Applied Environmental 1994, Science, Wye College, University of London
BSc (Hons), Agriculture, 1990, Seale-Hayne College, Polytechnic Southwest.
Positions:
01/2006-date Research Officer: (agricultural decision modelling and analysis) now Research Fellow in Operational Research in Natural Resources
07/2003-12/ 2005 Research Officer: agricultural decision modelling and analysis at Silsoe Research Institute, Wrest Park Silsoe, Bedford, UK
10/1995-06/2003 Research Assistant: agricultural decision modelling and analysis at Silsoe Research Institute, Wrest Park Silsoe, Bedford, UK
09/1994-09/1995 Assistant Consultant: bio-energy systems decision modeller at LRZ (Bio-energy Systems) Ltd, Herts., UK
Pre 1993/4 Various position in livestock and arable agriculture in the UK and the Netherlands culminating in a year as a dairy herd manager in Kent
Current activities
Daniel Sandars is experienced in systems modelling and application of quantitative methods such as linear programming (LP), data envelopment analysis (DEA) and life cycle analysis (LCA) to decisions and policy within agriculture and frequently its impact on the environment.
Recent research work has involved:
Developing a model to disaggregate the UK cattle industry into its common productions using data from the Cattle Tracing Service database to enable a more accurate and mechanistic calculation of the UK greenhouse gas inventory
Developing a structural modelling of sheep marketing and movements to calculate the costs and prevalence of routes to slaughter using livestock movement and vehicle data
Quantifying the environmental LCA of innovations in waste water treatment and the recycling of sludge to agriculture as a bio-fertiliser
Quantifying the environmental LCA of wetland biomass processed to biofuel briquettes
Calculating the environmental burdens of future national diets using LCA
Benchmarking the environmental efficiency of farms using DEA
Predicting land use change under biodiversity policy or climate change and adaptation policies using Farm Level LP.
Recent lecturing:
Linear Programming for Master's students in environmental resource economic and landscape planning and ecology
Case studies in Life Cycle Assessment of organic waste processing and disposal/ recycling to land for environmental policy master's students
Networks, Critical Path Analysis, GANNT charts and Programme Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) for project management for air transportation master's students.
Clients
Due to the fragmented nature of the agriculture sector with its many small businesses most research is publically funded through government departments, industry levy boards, science research councils, and European Union funded research.
MAFF
Defra
LINK
Environment Agency
EU Craft
EU FP7
RELU.
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Harrison PA, Beauchamp K, Cooper J, Dickie I, Fitch A, .... (2023). An adaptable integrated modelling platform to support rapidly evolving agricultural and environmental policy. Environmental Modelling & Software, 169(November)
- Sakrabani R, Garnett K, Knox JW, Rickson J, Pawlett M, .... (2023). Towards net zero in agriculture: Future challenges and opportunities for arable, livestock and protected cropping systems in the UK. Outlook on Agriculture, 52(2)
- Kipling RP, Topp CFE, Bannink A, Bartley DJ, Blanco-Penedo I, .... (2019). To what extent is climate change adaptation a novel challenge for agricultural modellers?. Environmental Modelling & Software, 120(Glob. Environ. Chang. 18 2008)
- Fronzek S, Carter TR, Pirttioja N, Alkemade R, Audsley E, .... (2019). Determining sectoral and regional sensitivity to climate and socio-economic change in Europe using impact response surfaces. Regional Environmental Change, 19(3)
- Harrison PA, Dunford RW, Holman IP, Cojocaru G, Madsen MS, .... (2019). Differences between low-end and high-end climate change impacts in Europe across multiple sectors. Regional Environmental Change, 19(3)
- Hutchings NJ, Özkan Gülzari Ş, de Haan M & Sandars D. (2018). How do farm models compare when estimating greenhouse gas emissions from dairy cattle production?. Animal, 12(10)
- Holman IP, Brown C, Janes V & Sandars D. (2017). Can we be certain about future land use change in Europe? A multi-scenario, integrated-assessment analysis. Agricultural Systems, 151
- Kipling RP, Virkajärvi P, Breitsameter L, Curnel Y, De Swaef T, .... (2016). Key challenges and priorities for modelling European grasslands under climate change. Science of The Total Environment, 566-567(October)
- Özkan Ş, Vitali A, Lacetera N, Amon B, Bannink A, .... (2016). Challenges and priorities for modelling livestock health and pathogens in the context of climate change. Environmental Research, 151(November)
- Audsley E, Trnka M, Sabaté S, Maspons J, Sanchez A, .... (2015). Interactively modelling land profitability to estimate European agricultural and forest land use under future scenarios of climate, socio-economics and adaptation. Climatic Change, 128(3-4)
- Plà LM, Sandars DL & Higgins AJ. (2014). A perspective on operational research prospects for agriculture. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 65(7)
- Cooke IR, Mattison EHA, Audsley E, Bailey AP, Freckleton RP, .... (2013). Empirical Test of an Agricultural Landscape Model. SAGE Open, 3(2)
- SANDARS DL. (2010). Proceedings of the First Meeting of the Operational Research (OR) Society's Special Interest Group on Agriculture and Natural Resources (SIG-ANR). The Journal of Agricultural Science, 148(2)
- Williams AG, Audsley E & Sandars DL. (2010). Environmental burdens of producing bread wheat, oilseed rape and potatoes in England and Wales using simulation and system modelling. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 15(8)
- SANDARS DL & PLÀ LM. (2009). Proceedings of the Fourth Meeting of the EURO Working Group on Operational Research (OR) in Agriculture and Forest Management (EWG-ORAFM). The Journal of Agricultural Science, 147(3)
- Cooke IR, Queenborough SA, Mattison EHA, Bailey AP, Sandars DL, .... (2009). Integrating socio‐economics and ecology: a taxonomy of quantitative methods and a review of their use in agro‐ecology. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46(2)
- Audsley E & Sandars DL. (2009). A review of the practice and achievements from 50 years of applying OR to agricultural systems in Britain. OR Insight, 22(1)
- PLÀ LM & SANDARS DL. (2008). Proceedings of the Third Meeting of the EURO Working Group on Operational Research (OR) in Agriculture and Forest Management (EWG-ORAFM). The Journal of Agricultural Science, 146(5)
- Sandars DL, Audsley E, Cañete C, Cumby TR, Scotford IM, .... (2003). Environmental Benefits of Livestock Manure Management Practices and Technology by Life Cycle Assessment. Biosystems Engineering, 84(3)
- Phillips VR, Cowell DA, Sneath RW, Cumby TR, Williams AG, .... (1999). An assessment of ways to abate ammonia emissions from UK livestock buildings and waste stores. Part 1: ranking exercise. Bioresource Technology, 70(2)
Conference Papers
- Del Prado A, Pol-van Dasselaar A, Chadwick D, Misselbrook T, Sandars D, .... (2014). Synergies between mitigation and adaptation to climate change in grassland-based farming systems.
- Williams AG, Audsley E & Sandars DL. (2008). Environmental Burdens of Livestock Production Systems Derived from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- Williams AG, Sandars DL & Audsley E. (2007). Sustainability and environmental burdens of milk and beef production
- Sandars DL, Williams AG & Audsley E. (2006). Modelling the structural diversity and interactions of agriculture within a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework
- Misselbrook T, Gilhesby S, Sandars DL, Williams AG, Burton C, .... (2006). Comparison of models and measurements for whole-farm ammonia emissions
- Sandars DL, Cumby TR & Nigro E. (2006). An environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the centralised anaerobic digester at Holsworthy in North Devon (England)
- Williams AG, Sandars DL & Audsley E. (2006). Energy use in agriculture
- Sandars DL, Williams AG & Audsley E. (2006). A model for calculating the environmental burdens of livestock production
- Williams AG, Audsley E & Sandars DL. (2006). Energy and environmental burdens of organic and non-organic agriculture and horticulture
- Sandars DL, Williams AG & Audsley E. (2005). Operational research applied to environmental sustainability: the application of the Life Cycle Assessment method to 10 agricultural commodities
- Williams AG, Sandars DL, Audsley E & Goulding KWT. (2004). Regional environmental benchmarks of arable farming
- Williams AG & Sandars DL. (2004). Environmental effects of manure management in the context of whole farms
- Williams AG, Sandars DL, Annetts JA, Audsley E, Goulding KWT, .... (2003). A Framework to Analyse the Interactions of Whole Farms Farm Profits and Environmental Burdens
- Williams AG, Sandars DL, Leech P, Audsley E & Goulding KWT. (2003). Environmental burdens and profitability of whole farms
- Sandars DL, Audsley E, Williams AG, Day W & Annetts JE. (2002). Farm waste management: whole farm simulation: taking the environment into account
- Sandars DL, Audsley E, Williams AG, Day W & Annetts JE. (2002). Environmental Policy: Whole farm simulation - taking the environment into account
- Sandars DL, Williams AG & Audsley E. (2002). A strategic whole-farm planning model including the nitrogen cycle
- Sandars DL, Audsley E, Canete C, Scotford IM, Cumby TR, .... (2001). Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to enable farmers to find Best Available Techniques (BAT) and comply with Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) directive
