No images? Click here CAWR Newsletter October 2020 Our monthly newsletters are an easy way to keep up-to-date with new developments at our research centre. From successful project bids to upcoming events, our newsletter informs you on how we are 'driving innovative transdisciplinary research on resilient food and water systems.' The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the contributors at the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Coventry University. NewsFarmers Wanted!The CAWR-led EU Horizon 2020 project, Organic-PLUS is running a series of joint farmer and consumer sessions with the aim of enabling engagement between experts in the practicalities of food consumption and production, and bringing the voices of these crucial but under-heard groups to bear at the policy level. Through discussions, presentations, creative engagement and group exercises, farmers and consumers will work together to explore perceptions of organic, feed into the Organic-PLUS project and add their voices to the future development of organic food in Europe. Sessions will be held online between 6 and 8pm on Wednesday evenings from 4/11/2020 to 16/12/2020 and all participants will be compensated £200 for their involvement. If you are interested in taking part, please fill in this short recruitment survey which should take no more than 5 minutes. Finance for agroecology: more than just a dream?This new research report and policy brief is based on our research on Financing Agroecology in CAWR’s AgroecologyNow! group. Converging socio-ecological crises amplified by a global pandemic, have made the need for a radical break with current food production systems difficult to ignore. Industrial agriculture is implicated in and exacerbates all of these crises. Of the different proposals that exist to build a sustainable food system, agroecology has taken a prominent role as a radically transformative pathway that would deliver not only ecological, but also social, economic and cultural benefits. However, despite this increasing recognition and a plethora of international reports, there are indications that actual, financial support for an agroecological transition remains meagre. This report adds to the evidence by analysing funding made available by the European Union in partnership with the United Nations’ Rome-based agencies as well as funding channelled via the Green Climate Fund. Click here to view the policy brief. Funded project: stakeholder perspectives on the role of the semi-wild ponyDonna Udall has been awarded a grant by the Wales Biodiversity Partnership to investigate stakeholder perspectives on the role of the semi-wild pony in maintaining biodiversity and agricultural sustainability in the uplands of Wales. Although it is understood that these ponies are important for upland, marsh and beach biodiversity, it is not clear what is needed to prevent their decline (from 10,000 over a century ago to 500 now) and related risk of extinction. Working with Dr Mariecia Fraser of Aberystwyth University, Donna is developing a bilingual questionnaire and conducting interviews with farmers, pony breeders, graziers, ecologists and many other interested parties. Transformation of our food systems – the making of a paradigm shift (New Open Access Book)Over the past decade, a new food system narrative has been firmly established, distinctly different from the post-war chemical narrative which still dominates mainstream farming. Nothing less than a real paradigm shift for agriculture, nutrition and food systems emerged, inspired to a great extent by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) that was finalised in April 2008. This new open access book takes stock of what has been achieved through and since the IAASTD report. It compiles essays summarizing a range of highly regarded international scientific and political reports that have been published after IAASTD. Together with topical papers (updates) from former IAASTD authors they are highlighting what has been achieved and what still needs to be done. The final chapter, written by Colin Anderson and colleague Molly Anderson provides a curated guide to the growing body of cases studies, maps, principles and other resources that are inspiring a transformative agroecology. Click here to view the book. Outstanding paper award for former CAWR PhD studentDr Chloe MacLaren, a former PhD student at CAWR, won one of the inaugural 2020 Outstanding Papers awards of the journal ‘Crop Science’ for her article, “Cover Crop Biomass Production is More Important than Diversity for Weed Suppression” which was part of her PhD. The article was selected based on scientific merit, innovation, and discovery of novel or new approaches to crop ecology, management and quality research. Congratulations! MacLaren, C., Swanepoel, P., Bennett, J., Wright, J., Dehnen-Schmutz, K. (2019): Cover crop biomass is more important than diversity for weed suppression. Crop Science 59: 733-748, Organic-PLUS Onion Harvest and VideoDespite the COVID-19 pandemic, field trials at Ryton Organic Gardens have continued apace this summer. As part of work to reduce the use of plastic mulch, the Organic-PLUS project team have been growing onions and cabbage through a variety of alternative mulch materials. To really understand the crop yield, it is important to know the size distribution of the vegetables from each trial plot, not just the total weight. In this video, Dr Francis Rayns demonstrates how this is done. Once the parallel cabbage trial has been harvested in November, the team look forward to sharing their findings. What's the link between biodiversity and climate change? – Live discussion on EuroNews “Climate Now”Dr. Sara Burbi was invited to join a panel of experts on the Climate Now series of the European news network EuroNews. Experts included Dr. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and Cristian-Remus Papp, from WWF Romania. The panel discussed how climate change affects biodiversity, with Dr. Burbi contributing from the point of view of agricultural activities and land uses. The recent EU Green Deal seems to be a step in the right direction, acknowledging the importance of a diversified landscape with a move away from the concept of industrial monoculture and intensive farming. However, just a few days after this panel discussion took place, the European Parliament voted on a post-2020 CAP reform package that is actually in conflict with the EU Green Deal and its objectives, especially regarding climate change, biodiversity and the environment. A lot more still needs to be done to support farmers and producers in the transition towards more climate resilient farming systems, with EC-funded H2020 projects like AGROMIX contributing to building a more diversified and resilient agricultural sector. EuroNews panel discussion was recorded and can be accessed here. Identification of sources and fate of emerging contaminants in surface and drinking water - studentship availableThe aim of this research project is to identify sources and fate of ECs in surface waters and their potential impact on the production and quality of drinking water. For more information and to apply visit the website by clicking here. How the humble hedgerow can help us breatheMark Tilzey wrote a letter in The Guardian entilted 'How the humble hedgerow can help us breathe.' Click here to view the letter. Organic Animal Husbandry systems – challenges, performance and potentials (IAHA)The Organic-PLUS and RELACS projects teamed up with IAHA and several EU-Core Organic projects to share results on organic livestock research. The proceedings (111 pages) of the IAHA Video-Conference on Organic Animal Husbandry, held 21. and 22. September 2020 (linked to the 20th Organic World Congress in Rennes, France – now moved to 2021) can be found here. Agroecology and feminism: Transforming our economy and societyA new issue of Farming Matters has been released brings to the forefront how agroecology coupled with perspectives such as feminism and indigenous cosmologies has been transforming our economy and society. These insights offer pertinent lessons for the pursuit of new values for new times. Jessica Milgroom formed part of the editorial team and Michel Pimbert, Colin Anderson and Jessica Milgroom authored a column in this magazine, also published on the AgroecologyNow website. This issue of Farming Matters is published by CIDSE, the AgriCultures Network and Cultivate!. Click here to view the magazine. Organic-PLUS at the Northern Real Farming ConferenceOn Tuesday 6th October, the Organic-PLUS team facilitated an open discussion at the Northern Real farming conference. The session was called ‘Alternatives to contentious inputs in organic horticulture’ and was attended by growers, consumers, and academics from across the UK, primarily from the North of England and Scotland. Contentious inputs include peat for growing media, plastic for mulching, fertilisers derived from non-organic production and overall, the dependence on off-farm inputs. Although these issues are widely known, contentious inputs are often used because there is a lack of alternatives, or they are more expensive. The participants were concerned about contentious inputs in organic systems and discussions wandered around the use of plastic in horticulture i.e. for pots and mulching as well as for packaging, the lack of reliable peat-free alternatives and contaminates such as aminopyralid in animal manures. Overall, the participants were in favour of systems approaches; where farm inputs could be sourced locally or on-farm and they emphasized the imperative for effective intersectoral cooperation. The session was a great opportunity to exchange ideas and insights, learn from each other and explore contentious inputs in organic horticulture and the implications of phasing them out. To find out more click here Postgraduate Research at CAWRIf you're interested in joining us for Postgraduate study, click here to view our new brochure. For any postgraduate enquiries, please contact study.cawr@coventry.ac.uk. Project BluewaterProfessor Michael Warne is part of a team at University of Queensland that has just received £2.5 million to fund Project Bluewater. The project aims is to significantly reduce the amount of pesticides entering waterways in the Mackay Whitsundays region (the NRM region that faces the highest risk from pesticides) that discharge to the Great Barrier Reef and reduce their combined toxicity by changing on-farm practices. The research team will be working with 165 farmers who farm approximately 54 000 acres so the potential for pesticide reductions is quite substantial. The vast majority of the money will be spent on-farm in order to achieve these reductions. Professor Michael Warne is a Guest Editor of a Special Issue of the International journal Marine Pollution Bulletin. The special issue is entitled “Advances in Knowledge about the Sources, Fates and Consequences of Pollutants in tropical shelf systems.” Launch Student Enterprise Challenge - now live!The Launch programme inspires students to solve world problems using enterprise. The programme is designed to appeal to a wide variety of students at all levels (PhD, Research, Postgrad, Undergrad etc.) across all Coventry University faculties. Do you have an enterprise idea that would solve a social or environmental problem? The winning team can win up to £2,000 towards their project to develop their business idea! This money can be used by the team to bring their idea to life. For more information please visit the website by clicking here. SEMINAR: Quantifying the response of macroinvertebrates to gradients of fine sediment pollutionJoin Morwenna Mckenzie on 5th November 11:30am-12:30pm GMT to hear about how fine sediment is helping to improve biomonitoring. Click here to find out more and register your place. Publications
|