CAWR Newsletter

March 2024

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.

Engaging citizens on plastic pollution

Participants in Cumbria looking at plastic use on an allotment site

CAWR has been engaging with members of the public around the country on the issue of plastic pollution in soils. Working with Garden Organic‘s network of volunteer coordinators, the sessions have explored both the plastic problem and how people would like research to be conducted. Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), this research includes citizens at every stage, to co-create a project that is more relevant to and inclusive of wider society.

CAWR Participates in meeting of Microplastics in Agriculture Project

Francis addressing the meeting

Francis Rayns attended a stakeholder meeting of the MINAGRIS project that was organised by the Countryside and Community Research Institute at the University of Gloucestershire.

MINAGRIS is concerned with the impacts of micro and nanoplastics in agricultural soils, a topic that is also being investigated by CAWR researchers. Francis presented some of the findings from the Organic-PLUS project concerning mulches made from biodegradable films and on-farm sourced materials such as hay. This work was linked to an Innovative Farmers ‘Field Lab’.

CAWR gets involved in The Big Plastic Count

Some members of CAWR registered to take part in The Big Plastic Count from 11th to 17th March. The Big Plastic Count is a campaign run by Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic that encourages people to count their plastic use for a week. After submitting your results they provide you with a personal plastic footprint. The data will then be used to push action on tackling plastic waste.

Rachel Frost's Graduation

CAWR is very proud to announce that Operations Officer, Rachel Frost, attended her graduation ceremony last week, where she received her BA in Management and Leadership. Many congratulations Rachel!

CAWR Organises Responsive Human Settlement Design Workshop

Discussions during the two day workshop

There are now over 110 million forcibly displaced people across the globe. Without concerted action on conflicts and climate change, this figure is set to double over the coming decade. Most arrive traumatised to hastily constructed tent cities that grow into informal settlements. Many will remain there in a state of extreme precarity for generations.

As part of CAWR's Stabilisation Agriculture programme, George McAllister received funds to bring researchers from CAWR and the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations together with an international group of practitioners to consider guidelines for the (co-)creation of more responsive human settlements.

The two-day workshop in March was led by Re-Alliance, and hosted landscape architects from Ennead Lab, urban designers from Arup, as well as UNHCR and on-the-ground expertise from YICE in Nakivale in Uganda.

Power Ponies: Harnessing native pony power for local land management

CAWR's Donna Udall, the Hill Pony Improvement Societies of Wales and Groundwork Caerphilly say they are beyond delighted to have been awarded funding for their Power Ponies project from the Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme.

The project will be managed by Groundwork Caerphilly, a charity which helps communities in Wales  to create better neighbourhoods, as well as to build skills and job prospects. It’s important work because the decline of Welsh Mountain ponies has contributed to increased scrub growth in hillsides local to Caerphilly with attendant fire risk and grazing loss. These ponies manage scrub by grazing but can also provide power for sustainable technologies such as bracken bashers. We will demonstrate the importance of these ponies for environmental and agricultural management and train handlers and ponies on how to pull equipment for low impact land management technologies.

CAWR MSc Class Visit to Foleshill Community Centre in Coventry

CAWR's MSc class on their visit to Foleshill

The 2023/2034 MSc field visit to Foleshill Community Centre on March 6th was a remarkable, enlightening, and enriching experience. The purpose of the visit was for us to collectively identify our developed criteria for evaluating an agroecological initiative through the lens of feminist agroecology under the auspices of the “Gender, Food Systems, and Natural Resources” module.

The moment we arrived at the Centre, nestled within the vibrant neighbourhood of Foleshill, we were immediately welcomed with a feeling of warmth and openness by friendly staff and volunteers who guided us through the centre's various facilities and programmes, which included a social supermarket, kitchen and café, community garden, and Sports Hall.

Exploring the different facilities and programmes, coupled with interactive sessions with the staff, fostered a deeper understanding of the Centre’s role in reaching out to the impoverished and providing support for people dealing with difficult life challenges, although other activities included food provision and holiday activities for school children. We had the opportunity to interact with local volunteers, hearing their perspectives on the Centre's impact on their lives and the broader community, and one major standout was how the Centre offers dignified support contrasting with other methods such as foodbanks. People have the opportunity to pick out their food items as well as learn important skills that could empower them to get back on track with life.

Our feedback reports through the lens of the feminist agroecology initiative developed by the class included care, empowerment, collectivity, social justice, inclusivity, sustainability, resilience, etc. Hence, we labelled the Centre a great example of what such initiatives could look like.

In general, our visit to the Foleshill Community Centre left a lasting impression, highlighting the power of grassroots initiatives in building stronger, more resilient communities. I would say “Every community needs a Foleshill Community Centre”.

I also recommend that this field visit be part of the “Community Self-Organisation and Resilience” module, as it could provide valuable insights.

Stanley Oramah

New Parliamentary Trip for Campaigners Against Regressive Immigration Law

Jasber Singh (far left) in parliament, participating in discussions on no recourse to public funds

CAWR researcher Jasber Singh has been invited back at the Houses of Parliament as part of a campaigning project he is involved in which seeks to tackle the regressive ruling that means some immigrants to the UK have no recourse to public funds (NRPF).

Following the group's photo exhibition in parliament in January 2024, they were invited back by MP Kate Osamor to further the campaign. Jasber said: "In a collaboration with Project 17’s group, United Impact, and MP Kate Osamor, we spent a day in the houses of parliament and posted our book, 'A Voice For The Voiceless. Through the lens of lived experience:  No Recourse to Public Funds, the violation of human rights, and resilience to it', to 200 MPs. The book provides these 200 MP insights into the lived experience of NRPF and its devasting impacts."

CAWR Researcher’s Paper Included in Global Land Grabbing Working Paper Series

A massive wave of investment in land, resulting in expropriation and displacement had emerged following the financial, food and energy crises of 2008-09. The global debate around land deals has diminished in the last several years, but important research and political questions remain. Mark Tilzey’s Working Paper entitled ‘Dependency, Imperialism, and Super-Exploitation of Labour-Power and Nature in the Global South’ contributes to this debate.

Discussion in Germany on Mainstreaming Agroecology to 30 per cent Land Use

Ulrich at the Leipzig conference with Lother Hoevelann, the chief executive officer of DLG and old university friend of Ulrich's.

In Feb 2024, Ulrich Schmutz attended the Leipzig DLG winter conference. DLG stands for Deutsche Landwirtschafts Gesellschaft - German Agricultural Association an equivalent to the NFU (National Farmers Union) in UK.

The conference had an excellent talk from the Green-party agricultural minister Cem Özdemir explaining the need for 30 per cent agroecological/organic land use and the European ‘Green Deal’ to continue after the election in June. This was inspiring to some, while threatening to others. Ulrich said that it was interesting to witness two worlds: one clinging to pesticides and high volume/high waste production, while another was mainstreaming sessions on certified ecological agriculture, small weeding robots and forest regeneration. More on agroforestry AGROMIX and the new 300 million Agroecology Partnership will follow.

Is Agroforestry about to Go Mainstream?

Trees planted into a wheat field at Wakelyns organic agroforestry, food and horticulture hub in Suffolk

Thirty years ago, planting trees in lines into a wheat field (as shown in the photo above) was regarded as eccentric and even foolish. But is agroforestry about to go mainstream?

In its 2023 Carbon Budget Delivery Plan (the climate change policy document which tells us how the UK will reach Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050), the UK Government has committed to 10 per cent of UK arable land being agroforestry by 2050. To help make that happen, DEFRA (in England) is promising payments – under its new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) subsidies scheme – of up to £849 per hectare for farmers who maintain agroforestry.

As an annual, grassroots, farmer-led initiative, The Agroforestry Open Weekend happening in May is an opportunity to share best (and worst!) practices, lessons from the field and discuss some of the challenges and opportunities of integrating trees into the farmed landscape first hand. 

Find out who’s participating in your area, how to book and more here: https://agroforestryopenweekend.org/

CAWR celebrates World Water Day

World Water Day was on Friday the 22^nd of March, 2024’s theme was ‘Water for Peace’. CAWR used a mandala pattern provided by UN-Water to create a display in our entrance. UN-Water then shared a photo of our display in their online gallery.

Testing peat-free blocking media under commercial conditions

The UKRI funded project to develop peat-free organic growing media suitable for the production of ‘pressed blocks’ has reached an important milestone. CAWR researchers travelled to Delfland Nurseries to test some novel blends of materials using commercial scale equipment. Lettuces grown in the blocks will be planted out on land managed by Riverford Organic Farmers.

Green Week at CAWR

To celebrate Green Week at CAWR we launched a crisp packet collection to be recycled through the Walkers TerraCycle Scheme. We already recycle stationary through the Bic TerraCycle Scheme.

CAWR also continued to run a ‘Spring Green Clean’ bring and take table.

PhD Opportunity on Evaluating Peat-free propagation media for ornamental transplants

This collaborative project between the Royal Horticultural Society and Coventry University seeks to address a particular scientific/knowledge gap in peat-free young/plug plant production in ornamental horticulture sector. The aim is to develop high quality peat-free plug/propagation material, particularly looking at fine-tuning growing media formulations, irrigation, nutrition regimes and growing protocol to support the transition to peat-free horticulture. For further information about the application process please contact francis.rayns@coventry.ac.uk

CAWR Researcher in Film Highlighting Land Connections between Scotland and the Amazon

CAWR researcher Iain MacKinnon appears in a new film which is part of a wider project to examine relations between colonisation and damaged indigenous cultures – pertaining to land rights, ecological systems and the power of dreams.

The film charts an exchange visit made to Scotland and the Isle of Skye by women leaders from Amazonian communities in South America and is being shown in Edinburgh at Talbot Rice Gallery until 1st June.

City Nature Challenge

iNaturalist allows users to create ‘projects’ for individual sites

The City Nature Challenge weekend runs from Friday 26th April until Monday 29th April. CAWR is working with Coventry City Council to engage with members of the public and record the city’s biodiversity using the iNaturalist app. In addition to recording activity at Ryton Organic Gardens, CAWR researchers will be delivering iNaturalist training to the Coventry University Grounds team and participating in events to promote citizen science in Coventry over the CNC weekend.

Events

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

Publications

Ramdas, S.R. & Pimbert, M.P. 2024. A cog in the capitalist wheel: Co-opting agroecology in South India. The Journal of Peasant Studies, Volume 51, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2024.2310739

Argamino, C. R. A., Sebben, B. G., da Costa, G., Towers, S., Bogush, A., Stevanovic, S., Godoi, R.H.M. & Kourtchev, I. (2024). Development and validation of a GC Orbitrap-MS method for the determination of phthalate esters (PAE) and bis (2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) to atmospheric particles and its application for screening PM_2.5 from Curitiba, Brazil. Analytical Methods. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3AY02197A

Schillé E., Valdés-Correcher E., ...Green S., Castagneyrol B., et al. (2024) Decomposing drivers in avian insectivory: Large-scale effects of climate, habitat and bird diversity Journal of Biogeography DOI: 10.1111/jbi.14808

Jones, T. S., Culham, A., Pickles, B. J., & David, J. (2024). How do gardeners define ‘invasive’? Implications for invasion science and environmental policy instruments on invasive species. Environmental Science & Policy, 151, 103614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103614

Pimbert, M.P. (2023). Defender la transformación radical de la agricultura y la alimentación. In: Una mirada critica de la transición ecológica. Revista Soberania Alimentaria Biodiversidad y Culturas. No 48.

Moeller, NI, Geck, M, Anderson, C, Barahona, C, Broudic, C, Cluset, R, Henriques, G, Leippert, F, Mills, D, Minhaj, A, Mueting-van Loon, A, de Raveschoot, SP, Frison, E. (2023). Measuring agroecology: Introducing a methodological framework and a community of practice approach. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene 11(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2023.00042

Carmen L. Manuelian, Sophie Valleix, Héloïse Bugaut, Birgit Fuerst-Waltl, Luciana daCosta, Sara Burbi, Ulrich Schmutz, Adrian Evans, Nikolaos Katsoulas, Sofia Faliagka, Uygun Aksoy, Özge Çiçekli, Danuta Dróżdż, Krystyna Malińska, Lindsay Whistance, Marion Johnson, Lucas Knebl, Federico Righi & Massimo De Marchi (2023) 'Farmers concerns in relation to organic livestock production', Italian Journal of Animal Science, 22:1, 1268-1282, DOI: 10.1080/1828051X.2023.2252005

Bacher, S., Galil, B. S., Nuñez, M. A., Ansong, M., Cassey, P., Dehnen-Schmutz, K., Fayvush, G., Hiremath, A. J., Ikegami, M., Martinou, A. F., McDermott, S. M., Preda, C., Vilà, M., Weyl, O. L. F., Fernandez, R. D., and Ryan-Colton, E. (2023). Chapter 4: Impacts of invasive alien species on nature, nature's contributions to people, and good quality of life. In: Thematic Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Roy, H. E., Pauchard, A., Stoett, P., and Renard Truong, T. (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7430731

Lokidor, P., Taka, M., Lashford, C. and Charlesworth, S. Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Flood Management in East Africa. Journal of Flood Risk Management. http://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12954

Charlesworth, S.M., Kligerman, D., Warwick, F., Blackett, M. (2023) The suitability and acceptability of Sustainable Drainage Systems to address inadequate drainage and greywater management in favelas in Brazil. Institution of Civil Engineers, Infrastructure Asset Management [Special Issue: Sustainability of Built and Natural Environments]. https://doi.org/10.1680/jinam.23.00012

Baskoro M.L., Tjahjono B., Bogush A., Beltran M., Syaifullah D., Tjahjono M. (2024). The Influence of Ecolabel: Insights from the Indonesian Bioplastics Packaging Industry Stakeholders. In: Silva, F.J.G., Ferreira, L.P., Sá, J.C., Pereira, M.T., Pinto, C.M.A. (eds) Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing: Establishing Bridges for More Sustainable Manufacturing Systems. FAIM 2023. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38165-2_112

Baskoro M., Beltran M., Bogush A.A., Tjahjono B. (2023) The imperative of communication signals in boosting business strategies of the bioplastics packaging industry. Business Strategy and the Environment, https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3490 

Bautista Quispe, JI. Campos, LC. Masek, O. and Bogush, A. (2023) Optimisation of biochar filter for handwashing wastewater treatment and potential treated water reuse for handwashing. Journal of Water Process Engineering, Vol. 54, 104001 

Burnett, E. (2023). Coopetition outside the market economy: Oxfordshire’s community food initiatives as a case study. Local Economy, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/02690942231189821

Parsa A, Van De Wiel MJ, Schmutz U, Fried J, Black D, Roderick I (2023). Challenging the food waste hierarchy. Journal of Environmental Management 344, 118554.