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CAWR Newsletter
March 2021
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.
Phasing-out the use of peat
Following preliminary experiments in 2020, CAWR researchers want the input of growers to inform their 2021 growing media trials. Peatlands play a vital role in flood prevention, storing carbon and provide habitat for rare and unusual plant and animal species. Despite this, peat extraction still occurs in the UK and overseas for use in both domestic and commercial horticulture. Researchers working on the Organic-PLUS project are focussing their attention on the use of peat to raise vegetable transplants and have devised a short survey for both organic and non-organic growers. There are only 9 questions and it should take no longer that 10 minutes to complete.
Join us as Head Laboratory Technican
An exciting opportunity to join us as a Head Laboratory Technician has become available.
The Head Laboratory Technician will be based at our unique high-performance analytical hub at our base in Ryton on Dunsmore, Warwickshire, UK.
Click here to find out more and to apply.
Resourcing an agroecological urbanism. Political, transformational and territorial dimensions
Chiara Tornaghi and Michiel Dehaene have published a new book “Resourcing an agroecological urbanism. Political, transformational and territorial dimensions”, London: Routledge.
Building on state-of-the-art and participatory research on farming, urbanism, food policy and advocacy, this new book changes the ways food planning has been conceptualised to date, and invites the reader to fully embrace the transformative potential of an agroecological perspective. It argues for moving away from a “food in the city” approach, and to rather fully consider (and transform) the economic and spatial processes that drives current urbanisation. Click here for more details on the new book.
Social Impact Toolkit - now available!
Since 2016, CAWR have been collaborating with The Real Farming Trust, Netfly and The 1201 Project, to explore the social impact of community-scale, agroecological food provisioning systems such as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and box schemes.
Working with The 1201 Project, and Netfly Design, the team have created a dynamic, online visual platform to support community food businesses in understanding and evidencing their social impact.
The toolkit was launched on 26th March and is available to explore via the website www.social-impact-toolkit.co.uk. Luke Owen, the co-creator of the social impact toolkit is hosting a seminar on Thursday 22nd April 11.30am (BST) to explain how it has been developed, how it is being applied in the LEAP project, and to connect with other interested researchers and practitioners. Please click here to register for this free event.
The urban planning of agroecological food systems seminar
Chiara Tornaghi was invited to talk at a webinar organised by the Spanish network of agroecological cities (Red Ciudad por la Agroecologia) titled: The urban planning of agroecological food systems (Planeamiento urbanistico de sistemas alimentatios agroecologico), organised on the 3rd and 4th of March 2021. A provisional recording of the event is available here.
I spoke to 'minimalists' to find out why they are giving up their personal possessions
Amber Martin-Woodhead wrote an article for The Conversation entitled 'I spoke to 'minimalists' to find out why they are giving up their personal possessions.'
DNAqua-Net awards
Laura Allen attended an online conference last week (9th-11th March), the DNAqua-net conference. Laura virtually presented a poster and had a poster session that she was able to share her microphone and video to talk to people who were interested in her poster. Laura also won a prize for her poster of 500 Euro’s for the Best Ph.D. student poster award. There were 69 people that applied to be considered for the awards and a total of 13 awards given to mixture of masters, PhD’s and early researchers. It was judged on their 3C’s criteria: scientific Content, message Clarity and presentation Charisma. Congratulations to Laura!
Art of planet possibility
Miche Fabre Lewin (2021), Space for Life and Death (left) Flora Gathorne-Hardy (2021), Plants and Sunlight (right). The original artworks produced by Miche and Flora for Art of Planet Possibility explore the touchpoints of art, science, and human agency as integral to ecological restoration.
Artist Researchers in Residence Dr Miche Fabre Lewin and Dr Flora Gathorne-Hardy collaborate with PhD Researcher Jay Abrahams of Biologic Design to make an art-science, image-text contribution for CIWEM’s (Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) magazine The Environment. Art of Planet Possibility draws inspiration from Abrahams’ nature-led, permaculture design processes which are being applied to West Peace, a ten-acre agricultural field in Suffolk, one of the country’s most drought-prone regions. This transition from chemical farming to regenerative practices is based on ecological principles which respect the land’s contours for restoring and maintaining water resources and soil health within the field and its hinterland. Such an ethics of care, a sympoiethics, recognizes that human actions are in an interdependent dance within the co-making of nature’s living cycles of decay and renewal.
Farmer-led research in 2021
Following trials in 2020, the Innovative Farmers network will continue to explore alternatives to plastic mulch films in 2021 with input from CAWR researchers. In addition to their own experiments to reduce the use of plastic as part of Organic-PLUS, Francis Rayns and Judith Conroy are working with farmers to find practical solutions and alternatives. After focusing on a range of biodegradable films in 2020, both the researchers and participants are now interested in further exploring materials that may be readily available on farms, such as chipped wood, hay and grass clippings rather than materials that are manufactured and transported. An important aspect of the trials is that all research is farmer-led, so whilst being supported by the network and researchers, farmers and growers are free to apply their own local knowledge and run trials on their own terms.
Researchers design new citizen science project to study the impact of air quality on honey bees
A pilot study by Coventry University’s Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR), supported by the British Bee Keepers Association (BBKA), will work with beekeepers across the Midlands to explore the possible impacts of air pollution on honey bee health.
Read more from the press release here.
Fernanda's internship
Fernanda Cantoni joined us for a three month internship in November, working with Dr Anna Bogush on the project "Biochar and bovine manure vermicompost for remediation of land and soil effected by coal mining." Here is what Fernanda had to say about her experience with us.
"I came to Coventry University to do an internship supervised by Dr. Anna Bogush. Here I worked on the identification of functional groups in 4 materials (2 biochar and 2 vermicomposts) through the analysis of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy- FTIR. These materials will be used for trace element adsorption tests in acid mine drainage. I also had the experience of giving a seminar at the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience- CAWR, about my research, which was a wonderful experience. I received a lot of support, which made me very comfortable. In addition, I am having the opportunity to write a scientific article with Dr. Anna. During the internship, I had the opportunity to participate in a course offered by Coventry University called “Citizen's Social Sciences Course”, taught by excellent professionals. Besides all these, I could improve my English skills which is really important for my career.
Since the first contact, I had with the professionals at Coventry University, I was very well received. Layla gave me wonderful support, always very attentive and agile, helping me with everything I needed here. Coventry University has a team of excellent professionals. It was an immense pleasure to meet part of this wonderful group.
It was wonderful to work with Dr. Anna Bogush, I learned a lot during my internship here, Anna is an excellent professional. Helping me and guiding me in everything I needed here.
During this period here a call for scholarships was opened in Brazil, offering scholarships for studies abroad. I wrote a project for this scholarship together with Dr. Anna and now I am looking forward to this proposal being selected so that I can return to this wonderful University in the future.
Thank you very much Coventry University for providing the best experience I have ever had."
If you are interested in joining us for an internship, please get in contact with our Postgraduate support team: study.cawr@coventry.ac.uk
Pharmaceutical Exposure in Agroecosystems seminar - now available on our YouTube channel
If you missed our seminar last week with Laura Carter on Pharmaceutical Exposure in Agroecosystems, then you can now catch up on our YouTube channel! Click here to watch the seminar.
Seminar
Co-developing and applying a social impact toolkit for Community Food Businesses in the UK
The toolkit has been designed as a visual, structured platform of information, tools and indicators that can be used in a standalone capacity to help understand social impact and outcomes associated with the work of Community Food Businesses, such as CSAs and box schemes.
22nd April 2021 11:30am-12:30pm GMT
Click here to book your place.
Studentships
Chemical analysis and bioaccumulation of ‘forever chemicals’ in aquatic organisms - This opportunity will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified
Investigating and designing low-cost vegetated drainage systems for storm water management in Nepal - application deadline 14th May 2021
Understanding future impact of climate change on agricultural productivity and practices in northern Africa - application deadline: 18th June 2021
Call for papers
Topic Editors: Dr Niall Burnside and Dr Jonathan Dale
Manuscript submission deadline: 30 September 2021
Special Issue "Surface Water Management: Recent Advances and Challenges"
Topic Editors: Prof Susanne Charlesworth, Dr Tom Lavers and Dr Craig Lashford
Manuscript submission deadline: 30 November 2021
Topic Editors: Stefanie Lemke, Priscilla Claeys, Nina Moeller and Georgina McAllister
Manuscript submission: 29th June 2021
Water Resources Resilience for Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Special session: Water Security Challenges & Strategies in the 21st Century and Special session: Flooding and resilience against climate change
You are cordially invited to submit abstracts and subsequent full papers to the bi-annual Water Efficiency Conference organised by the Water Efficiency Network, The University of the West Indies and The Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago (APETT).
Abstract submission deadline: 30 November 2021
Contact: info@watefnetwork.co.uk for all conference, exhibition and sponsorship enquiries.
Publications
Burnett, E. (2021) All aboard the Tudge train to renaissance, Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
Khayrulina E., Bogush A., Novoselova L., Mitrakova N. (2021) Properties of Alluvial Soils of Taiga Forest under Anthropogenic Salinisation. Forest Ecology and Management, 12(3), 321.
Kudryashova O.S., Elokhov A.M., Khayrulina E.A., Bogush A.A. (2021) Composition for rock grouting based on insoluble calcium salts for groundwater protection. Environmental Earth Sciences, 80, 205.
Leng L., Zhang W., Li H., Bogush. A.A, Stegemann J.A., Huang H. (2021) The impact of the particle size of meat and bone meal (MBM) incineration ash on phosphate precipitation and phosphorus recovery. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(3), 105247.
Tilzey, M. (2021) State Capitalism under Neoliberalism: The Case of Agriculture and Food in Brazil. Contemporary Sociology Volume 50, Issue 2
