No images? Click here
CAWR Newsletter
February 2022
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.
Seeds for Diversity and Inclusion.
Agroecology and Endogenous Development
Seed diversity is crucial to the sustainability of food and agricultural systems. Yet the global ‘state of seeds’ reveals, both wild and domesticated varieties are disappearing under an onslaught of human-driven pressures. The impacts of this impoverishment on small and Indigenous farmers, ecosystems, food security and human health are manifold, and understanding them demands that we unravel a range of intermeshed social and political factors.
This open access book will contribute to a more nuanced debate around seed systems that goes beyond the dominant dichotomous conceptualization of seed governance often characterized as traditional vs modern, subsistence vs commercial, or local vs global. While reflecting on the expanding oligopoly in the current seed system, the authors argue that such classifications limit our ability to critically reflect on and acknowledge the diverse approaches through which seed governance and management is practiced around the world, at various scales, creating a mosaic of dynamic complementarities and autonomies.
During his time as Visiting Professor in CAWR, Professor Yoshiaki Nishikawa joined efforts with Michel Pimbert to invite case study authors from Bhutan, Korea, Japan, Myanmar, Iran, Italy, Peru, Scotland, Taiwan, and the UK.
The book’s 13 chapters can each be downloaded for free from here
Plant Bioindicator project update
The first phase of the Bioindicator pilot project has concluded with the publication of the Bioindicators: Farmer’s Field Guide. This includes a description of the methodology developed iteratively with farmer participants over four field walks in summer 2021, as well as a handy ‘bioindicator species guide’. You can download the guide and read more about the project in this blog
Peat-free webinar
On 23rd February, researchers working on the Organic-PLUS project were panellists for the Organic Growers Alliance’s webinar on ‘DIY peat-free growing media’ as part of the Farming the Future series. Francis Rayns, Margi Lennartsson and Judith Conroy presented their trials with peat alternatives, and ongoing work to phase-out peat to an audience of around 200 attendees, followed by a lively question and discussion session.
TRUE project publishes case study e-book
The TRUE project, which aims to increase legume cultivation and consumption in Europe and beyond, has now published details of its research. The new e-book includes details of two case studies conducted by CAWR researchers Barbara Smith, Francis Rayns and Judith Conroy at Ryton Organic Gardens: ‘Heritage varieties for enhanced human and beneficial insect nutrition’ and ‘Legumes as a source of fertility in organic protected cropping systems’. Find out more about the project and read the e-book here.
The conversation annual report
Amber Martin-Woodhead's work on minimalist consumption was mentioned in The Conversation's annual report as her article 'I spoke to
minimalists to find out why they are giving up their personal possessions' was read 188,000 times across Australia, South Africa the US and UK.
Click here to read
Margi Lennartsson Turner's work on green alternatives to peat compost was also mentioned in The Conversation's annual report as her article 'Peat compost to be banned – luckily, green alternatives are just as good for your garden' was read 89,000 times!
Click here to read
Viva Successes!
Congratulations to CAWR PhD students Katie Whiddon and Flackson Tshuma who recently passed their Vivas with minor corrections.
Katie's thesis title was ‘Brokering Governance? A Political Ethnography of the UN Tenure Guidelines in Struggles for Access to Land, Fisheries and Forests in Nepal’ supervised by Josh Brem-Wilson, James Bennet, Mark Tilzey, and Priscilla Claeys.
Flackson's research was concerned with the effects of tillage on soil fertility and crop performance in arable production in South Africa, supervised by Francis Rayns and James Bennett from Coventry University together with Pieter Swanepoel (Stellenbosch University) and Johan Labuschagne (Western Cape Department of Agriculture).
Events
Catch up on our events and seminars from this month by visiting our YouTube channel
Studentships
Chemical analysis and bioaccumulation of ‘forever chemicals’ in aquatic organisms - This opportunity will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified
Publications
Evans, M. (2022) Insecurity, informal trade and timber trafficking in the Gambia/Casamance borderlands. Journal of Borderlands Studies (published online). https://doi.org/10.1080/08865655.2022.2031253
Evans, M. (2021) Displacement in Casamance, Senegal: lessons (hopefully) learned, 2000–2019. Canadian Journal of African Studies 55 (3): 635–654. https://doi.org/10.1080/00083968.2020.1869571
Pimbert M. (2022) Reclaiming Diverse Seed Commons Through Food Sovereignty, Agroecology and Economies of Care. In: Nishikawa Y., Pimbert M. (eds) Seeds for Diversity and Inclusion. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89405-4_2
Mayer, A.M.B., Trenchard, L. and Rayns, F., 2021. Historical changes in the mineral content of fruit and vegetables in the UK from 1940 to 2019: a concern for human nutrition and agriculture. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, pp.1-12. Historical changes in the mineral content of fruit and vegetables in the UK from 1940 to 2019: a concern for human nutrition and agriculture — Coventry University
Rayns, F., Conroy, J. and Smith, B., 2021. Using legumes as a source of fertility in protected cropping systems. In TRUE-project Case Studies E-book: Facilitating home-grown legumes as the foundation of sustainable food-and feed-systems (p. 52). Edited by: Vougeleka, V., Ntatsi, G., Tran, F., Duffy, C., Iannetta, P. (2021) Case Studies Ebook. Deliverable 2.7 (D17) which for the EU funded project, ‘TRansition paths to sUstainable legume-based systems in Europe’ (TRUE). Grant Agreement number 727973. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5734392. European Commission. Using legumes as a source of fertility in protected cropping systems — Coventry University
Smith, B., Rayns, F. and Conroy, J., 2021. Do heritage varieties of legumes deliver enhanced human and beneficial insect nutrition? In TRUE-project Case Studies E-book: Facilitating home-grown legumes as the foundation of sustainable food-and feed-systems (p. 14). Edited by: Vougeleka, V., Ntatsi, G., Tran, F., Duffy, C., Iannetta, P. (2021) Case Studies Ebook. Deliverable 2.7 (D17) which for the EU funded project, ‘TRansition paths to sUstainable legume-based systems in Europe’ (TRUE). Grant Agreement number 727973. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5734392. European Commission. Do heritage varieties of legumes deliver enhanced human and beneficial insect nutrition? — Coventry University
