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CAWR Newsletter
December 2025
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 equitable, sustainable and 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.
With the winter solstice just a few days away, it is comforting to know that the daylight hours will soon start to lengthen, as we pass midwinter’s longest night. As we reach a time of rest and reflection, we can look back on another busy year at CAWR. We’ve seen some great successes in terms of new and completed projects, publications and PhD completions and we've welcomed new doctoral students starting their research journeys with us. As we prepare for our winter break, I’d like to thank everyone for all their contributions, including all our project partners and newsletter readers for your continued support and engagement. On behalf of CAWR, I offer our very best wishes for the festive season and the year ahead.
Professor Moya Kneafsey, Centre Director
Masters by Research studentship opportunity - ‘Mapping Green and Blue Spaces in Coventry to Inform Strategies for Improving Urban Green Spaces for Nature and Communities’
The Green4all partnership led by Coventry City Council is part of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Nature in Towns and Cities Programme (NiTC). Green4all’s vision is to transform greenspaces across the city. Understanding the extent and condition of the city’s green-blue assets is a key first step in this transformation. This MRes project will map these assets using GIS and develop a methodology for assessing their value. The findings will inform Coventry City Council’s strategy to improve greenspaces in Coventry for people and for nature and will make a valuable contribution to Coventry’s Green4all initiative.
Starting in May 2026, this 12-month MRes studentship includes fees and stipend, for more details and how to apply see:
David presenting his work at the Atmospheric Composition and Chemistry Observations and Modelling Conference (ACCOMC 2025) at the University of Wollongong, Australia
ACCOMC 2025
On December 2nd to 5th, CAWR PGR David Anene attended the Atmospheric Composition and Chemistry Observations and Modelling Conference (ACCOMC 2025) at the University of Wollongong, Australia. He presented his research on the health effects of microplastics from face masks. ACCOMC focuses on how atmospheric chemistry impacts global change, particularly in Australasia, and facilitates collaboration among researchers in observations, remote sensing, and modelling to enhance understanding of atmospheric processes.
David presenting his work at the Atmospheric Composition and Chemistry Observations and Modelling Conference (ACCOMC 2025) at the University of Wollongong, Australia
Celebration of the professional career of Dr Margi Lennartsson
Organic fruit and vegetable retirement cake (Credit: J Conroy)
On 11th December CAWR and Garden Organic got together to celebrate Dr Margi Lennartsson on her retirement. Margi joined Garden Organic (then the Henry Doubleday Research Association HDRA) directly after being awarded her PhD from Bristol University in 1987, and from thence built up the world-leading organic horticultural research programme over almost 30 years before moving across the car park at Ryton Organic Gardens to CAWR, Coventry University. More recently Margi has been editor-in-chief of the journal of Biological Agriculture and Horticulture. Many well-wishers turned up for the event including HDRA’s Alan and Jackie Gear. Margi will continue her association with CAWR as an Honorary Research Fellow.
Top image: Speech by Francis Rayns (credit: F Taylor), Bottom image: Margi (centre) with ex HDRA colleagues (L-R) Pauline Pears, Bob Sherman, Alan Gear, Jackie Gear (credit: F taylor)
Elgar Encyclopedia of Food and Society
The exciting new Elgar Encyclopedia of Food and Society features a number of contributors from CAWR, past and present. Described as a “landmark reference for food studies”, this title contains one or more Open Access chapters and features over 120 entries from international experts. The Encyclopedia provides a comprehensive overview of the activities, ideas, issues and challenges that shape relationships between food systems and society. Each entry includes an accessible and informative introduction to its topic, along with specific examples, recommended further reading and references to other sources. Discount code EEFS40 is now active for hardcopy orders placed through the publisher’s website and provides a 40% discount. It will remain valid until the end of January.
Impact News - 'working for change'
Future of Food Exhibition
If you’re visiting London over the holidays, there’s still plenty of time to visit the Future of Food Exhibition at the Science Museum. It runs until September 2026 and tickets are free. CAWR’s Director, Professor Moya Kneafsey was a member of the advisory group.The exhibition makes for an interesting visit, and will no doubt prompt plenty of discussions and debates concerning how we understand, represent and imagine the past, present and future of our food systems.
Integrating informal settlements into sanitation policy in South Africa
Various site visits across the Cape Town region
CAWR researchers Liliane Binego, Sue Charlesworth and Jana Fried (PI) visited Dr Kirsty Carden and her research team at the Future Water Research Institute at the University of Cape Town from 8-12 December as part of their British Academy funded ISPoSA project. ISPoSA is investigating the role of evidence in policy implementation around sanitation and drainage infrastructure within the many informal settlements of the Western Cape province in South Africa, hoping to contribute to South Africa achieving SDG 6.2. The intense, week-long visit enabled a rich exchange of ideas, learning and discussions with academics and city officials in preparation of fieldwork in March 2026.
Publications
Verdi, R., Faedo, L.F., Scherr, C., Wright, J., Rayns, F. and Boff, P. (2025) Bioassay of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings in response to dynamized high dilutions of Calcarea carbonica and Silicea terra. Int J High Dilution Res. 2025; 25(CF): 402-416. http://doi.org/10.51910/ijhdr.v25icf.1719
Kelley, D. et al. (inc. Eden, J.M.) (2025) State of Wildfires 2024-25, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 5377-5488. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-483
Gallo, C., Dieppois, D., Quilcaille, Y., Chiriacò, M.V., Drobyshev, I., Fulé, P.Z., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., Blackett, M. and Eden, J.M. (2025) Future impacts of climate change on global fire weather: Insight from weighted CMIP6 multi-model ensembles, J. Climate, 38, 6445–6462. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-24-0540.1
Viera-Arroyo, W.; Binego, L.; Rayns, F.; López, D.; Moya, M.; Vera, L.; Caicedo, C. (2025). Systematic Review of Integrating Technology for Sustainable Agricultural Transitions: Ecuador, a Country with Agroecological Potential. Sustainability 2025, 17, 6053. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17136053
Mariki SB and Binego L (2025). Conflicting interests over natural resource use: the case of interactions among livestock keepers, farmers, and wildlife at Kilombero Valley, Tanzania. Front. Sustain. Resour. Manag. 4:1650915. Doi: 10.3389/fsrma.2025.1650915 [URL: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsrma.2025.1650915 ]
Worsdell, L. S., Maughan, C., Wright, J., Hill-Butler, C., & Félix, G. F. (2025). Has agroecology lost the plot? The fracture between science, movement, and practice in the Insular Caribbean. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2025.2584306
Gallo Granizo, G., Bacciu, V., Eden, J.M., Hernández Paredes, E., García Feced, C., Bedhiaf, S., Oom, D., Goldammer, J.G., Dieppois, B., Belen, İ., Mitri, G., Turhan, Ü., Ascoli, D., Alfonso, L. and San-Miguel-Ayanz, J. (2025) Fire Management in the Mediterranean Region, In: The status of the Mediterranean forests 2025, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 156pp. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6921en
Giannitsopoulos, M.L., Burgess, P.J., Graves, A.R., Olave, R., Eden, J.M. and Herzog, F. (2025). Predicted yield and soil organic carbon changes in grassland, arable, woodland, and agroforestry systems under climate change in a cool temperate Atlantic climate, Agron. Sustain. Dev. 45, 26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-025-01020-7
Smith Khanna, P. (2025). Buen Vivir as fertile soil for ecological masculinities: learning from gardening men in Cali, Colombia. NORMA, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2025.2576329
Dehnen-Schmutz, K, Adekola, OE, Jones, TS (2025): Testing the feasibility of citizen science to record impacts of invasive alien plants. Ecological Solutions and Evidence 6(3): e70121. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70121
Pathania D., Venkatesan S., Kourtchev I., McKenzie M., Bogush A., Mackay G., Lampugnani E., Ristovski Z., Zare A., Stevanovic S. Pollen hydration and its induced effects on human bronchial epithelial cells: a comparative analysis of three species. Science of the Total Environment 2025 1002, 180665 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180665
Berger, I., Pannure, A., Harris, A., Basu, P., Smith, B. and Dicks, L.V., (2025) Agroecological Cashew Cultivation Increases Pollinator Abundance, Diversity and Flower Visitation Rates, with Potential Yield Benefits. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.110006
Berger, I., Kamble, A., Morton, O., Raj, V., Nair, S.R., Edwards, D.P., Wauchope, H.S., Joshi, V., Basu, P., Smith, B. and Dicks, L.V., 2025. India’s agroecology programme,‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’, delivers biodiversity and economic benefits without lowering yields. Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02849-7
Wood, T.J., Patiny, S., Dutta, A., Laha, S., Smith, B., Basu, P. and Roberts, S.P., 2025. Camptopoeum paruii sp. n., the first species of Camptopoeum described from India (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae). Journal of Natural History, 59(33-36), pp.2143-2154.
Bacher S, Ryan-Colton E, Coiro M, Cassey P, Galil BS, Nuñez MA, Ansong M, Dehnen-Schmutz K, Fayvush G, Fernandez RD, Hiremath AJ et al. (2025): Global Impacts Dataset of Invasive Alien Species (GIDIAS). Scientific data12:832. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05184-5
Eluri, A., Gates, W., Callahan, D., Charlesworth, S. M. and Kourtchev, I., Pyrolysis gas chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) method for analysis of phthalic acid esters and its application for screening e-waste materials. Anal. Methods, 2025, DOI: 10.1039/D5AY00987A
Kourtchev, I., McGillen, M. R., Wenger, J., Donahue, N. M. Rethinking environmental boundaries for contaminants of emerging concern. Atmos. Environ. 2025, 361, 121492. DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121492
Diop, S. B., Ekolu, J., Tramblay, Y., Dieppois, B., Grimaldi, S., Bodian, A., Blanchet, J., Rameshwaran, P., Salamon, P., and Sultan, B. (2025) Climate change impacts on floods in West Africa: New insight from two large-scale hydrological models. Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. In-press. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-130
Peña-Angulo, D., Tramblay, Y., Vicente-Serrano, S.M., Ekolu, J., Dieppois, B., El Kenawy, A. (2025) Multidecadal changes in hydrological droughts across Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 60, 102595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102595
