CAWR Newsletter

November 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.

Upscaling organic

From the 4th to 6th of November, Coventry University researchers attended the SCALE-it annual consortium meeting in Granada, Spain.

Adrian Evans presented the methodology underpinning a Europe-wide consumer survey and work to enhance science/society dialogue around organic. Judith Conroy explained how a systematic literature review using the Covidence platform will complement and inform the wider project.

Plans were refined for 65 on-farm trials of alternatives to contentious inputs in organic farming and horticulture. Results from these trials will be taken forward by Ulrich Schmutz who is leading work to assess the economic impact of phasing-out or reducing inputs such as copper fungicide and de-worming drugs.

Keep up to date with the SCALE-it newsletter.

Contribution to Symposium Series on economic development and value chains of biodynamic farms in Poland 

On 27-28 November, Julia Wright participated in the Symposium: Resilience on Biodynamic Farms, Challenges and Opportunities. Held on Juchowo Farm -Poland, Julia’s keynote speech discussed the potential for developing a postmodern, Biodynamic Agricultural Knowledge System.  

Juchowo Farm, Silnowo, Poland

OneSTOP Living Lab holds successful second meeting about invasive species

Living Lab participants with the OneSTOP automated insect monitoring trap and airDNA sampler at CAWR

On Wednesday 12th of November, the Coventry and Warwickshire OneSTOP Living Lab held a successful second meeting at CAWR. Lab members discussed first results from the experimental automatic moth recording, the use of models in invasion biology, the potential uses of generative AI for invasive species management and ideas for future tools that could help with management. Project partners of the EU-funded OneSTOP project and external experts contributed as guest speakers. 

Publication Spotlight!!

Has Agroecology lost the Plot? A Literature Review of Agroecology in the Caribbean

This article recently published in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, explores where science fails to effectively challenge dominant plantation logics at the expense of perspectives that underscore the power of plot, indigenous practices, marronage, knowledge sharing, and social movements in the Insular Caribbean. Different polycultures of agroecological research are necessary, where radical discourses and participatory methodologies cross-pollinate and synergize with technical approaches to support agroecological transformations of Caribbean food systems.

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

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:  

BSF Small scale rearing

CLIPS-Africa Laser Methane Detector and Black Soldier Fly training in Botswana and South Africa

Between 26 October and 1 November, Dr Lovemore Gwiriri travelled to Botswana as part of the CLIPS-Africa project, where he and project partners were trained in using a Laser Methane Detector for estimating Green House Gas Emissions (GHGEs). Data collection protocols were also co-developed for measuring GHGEs from goats. Lead farmers were also trained on small-scale Black Soldier Fly production in South Africa between October and November 2025. 

BSF Farmer training

CAWR receives £3200 from the ITSS Equipment Sharing Fund

Ivan Kourtchev received £3200 from the ITSS Equipment Sharing Fund to access the proteomics facilities at Warwick University.

The access will allow PGR student Dimple Pathania to investigate protein modifications in pollen exposed to anthropogenic pollutants, including how these changes may influence pollen allergenicity, as part of the ongoing PhD project.

Annual State of Wildfires report

Jonathan Eden recently contributed to the State of Wildfires 2024–25 report as part of an international consortium of experts from more than 60 institutes across 20 countries. This second annual global assessment documents when and where extreme wildfires occurred, their impacts, why they happened, and the role of climate change. The report highlights the worldwide consequences of extreme wildfires and calls for urgent action on emissions and land management.

Impact News - 'working for change'

The Water Hub banner on site in South Africa

Work with CAWR acknowledged at the Water Hub, Franschhoek,  Western Cape, South Africa 

Professor Sue Charlesworth has collaborated with Drs Kevin Winter and Kirsty Carden from the University of Cape Town for over 10 years at the Water Hub. In acknowledgement of funded projects the group have worked on together, including those running currently with the EU (Sue is CAWR PI) and British Academy (Dr Jana Fried is PI), a banner including CAWR and other partners has been erected on the site. Work is ongoing on the bioremediation of contaminants in runoff from an informal settlement including nutrients, metals, E. coli and Contaminants of Emerging Concern.   

PFAS pollution radio interview 

Ivan Kourtchev gave an interview on PFAS pollution to Capital radio Midlands and Innovations News Network on 5th of November. A part of the interview can be found here.

Events

December 11th - SEMINAR - Agroecological Innovations in Alternative Grain Systems with Chris Maughan and Leo Faedo

Catch up on our events and seminars by visiting our YouTube channel

Publications

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.

EKOLU, DIEPPOIS, DIOP, BODIAN, GRIMALDI, SALAMON, VILLARINI, EDEN, MONERIE, VAN DE WIEL, TRAMBLAY (2025) How could climate change affect the magnitude, duration and frequency of hydrological droughts and floods in West Africa during the 21^st century? A storyline approach. Journal of  Hydrology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133482