ABOUT US

Dr Philippa Guest
+44 (0) 1428 658 691

John Landell Mills
+44 (0) 1225 862 129

Email

Registered office:
White Lodge
1 Lion Lane
Haslemere
Surrey GU27 1JF
United Kingdom

Agronomica Limited
was  incorporated in May 2003.  It is an independent firm, entirely owned by its two founders.  

Within Europe and more widely, public concerns about food safety and quality, demands for more environmentally-friendly farming systems and higher standards of animal welfare are all generating intense pressures both on policy makers and on key stakeholders in the food chain.

So, too, are difficult rural economic and social problems – made even more challenging by the imminent expansion of the EU and the potential impact of further trade liberalisation.

Against this background,  Agronomica has been established by Philippa Guest and John Landell Mills with the aim of providing comprehensive services to private and public sector clients covering:-

• Research and consultancy on sustainable agriculture worldwide.  
• Technical services to plan and implement sustainable agriculture strategies, programs and projects.

The firm’s founders believe that technological innovation is a key enabler of sustainable agriculture and are committed to a science-based approach to evaluating the economic, environmental and social impact of new agricultural technologies and practices.

We are also committed to promoting dialogue and partnership between key stakeholders in the food chain through the sharing of ideas, experience and best practice

Agronomica offers the services of its own core staff plus those of an international network of experts covering the food chain from input supply to food processing and marketing.

As a recently established firm, Agronomica’s main credentials at present are those of its two founders:-

Philippa Guest  is an acknowledged international expert on sustainable agriculture, with 18+ years related experience.  She has a doctorate in integrated pest management from Imperial College, University of London. In the past 15 years, prior to joining Agronomica, she worked in the crop protection industry (ICI Plant Protection, Zeneca and Syngenta) and held a number of senior positions in research and development, product stewardship, marketing and business strategy.  Her most recent roles were as Global Head of Sustainable Agriculture (Syngenta) and Global Head of Integrated Crop Management (Zeneca) with responsibility for defining corporate strategy and driving operational activities.

John Landell Mills is a marketing and management consultant with over 30 years wide-ranging experience of both research and technical assistance activities in the fields of agriculture, food, rural development and related areas. Previously managing director of Landell Mills Associates (later Landell Mills International) he has been responsible for numerous studies and projects relating to IPM/ICM, crop biotechnology and crop production for export.- as well as on the interaction between sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation – in Europe and many other regions.  He is also a founder and director of LMC International (formerly Landell Mills Commodities Studies) with offices in Oxford and New York) which specialises in economic and marketing studies on soft commodities and their derivatives in the food and industrial markets

Projects carried out for the EC (as project director) include studies on the potential impact of biotechnology on pesticide and fertiliser use, on EU-wide supply and demand for fruit and vegetables, and comparative case studies on conventional, integrated and organic production – as well as many technical assistance projects in ACP and other developing countries as well as for the PHARE and TACIS programmes. He has been a Full member of the Market Research Society for over 25 years.

Previous studies carried out by Agronomica’s founders include:

Attitudes to IPM in Europe, research carried out for CropLife International and the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA).  Parallel studies were also carried out in the Asia/Pacific, Latin America and North American regions for CropLife International, Brussels.

Assessment of the Benefits of Plant Protection Products  Study carried out by John Landell Mills for Eyre Associates under a contract with EC DG Environment and the Dutch Ministry of the Environment.  This involved comparative case studies of conventional, integrated and organic production of apples (Trentino, Italy), potatoes (Netherlands), wheat (Germany – NW region) and wine (France – Bordeaux) examining both technical and economic aspects.  The study report is available on the internet at http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/ppps/eyre.pdf.  

Organic Farming in seven European countries  Major study carried out by John Landell Mills for ECPA which reviewed (a) background and history of organic farming, (b) production of organic crops and livestock, (c) marketing, trade and economics,  (d) organisation and rules for certification, (e) consumer attitudes, and (f) future prospects and forecasts.

Innovation in Agro-Biotechnology: Case study on lower levels of fertilisers and pesticides in agricultural crop production by John Landell Mills, June 1992.  Study carried out for EC DG Research.  

Changing Markets for Fruit and Vegetables in the European Community  Major study carried out under the direction of John Landell Mills (Landell Mills Commodities Studies S.A.) for the EC DG 23 (Consumer Affairs).  

Many other projects related to the food chain and to various different aspects of sustainable agriculture have been carried out for commercial clients (food manufacturers, distributors, farm input suppliers, etc) and therefore remain confidential.

Agronomica is an associate member of the Arcadia International group which is headquartered in Brussels and provides research and consultancy services to firms at all levels of the food chain.  Its team of experts include specialists in most aspects of food production and distribution.