Archaeology has no Relevance

Archaeologists are under pressure to demonstrate that their work has impact beyond the discipline. This has prompted some archaeologists — and in particular environmental archaeologists and palaeoecologists — to argue that an understanding of past environmental changes is essential to model future outcomes in areas such as climate change, land cover change, soil health and food security. However, few archaeological studies have explored how to put research results into practice, and most archaeologists seem unaware of a substantial literature on research-led policy design produced primarily within the social sciences and development studies. We briefly summarise this literature, report on our attempts to engage directly with policy makers and NGOs working on sustainable agriculture, and ultimately recommend that future projects should be co-designed with potential end-users from the outset.