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CAWR Newsletter
May 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.
Spring bee spotting
During the month of May, CAWR researcher Judith Conroy worked with Gardens Supervisor Craig Mundy to offer guided bee walks at Ryton Organic Gardens and in Coventry city centre. Despite some cooler weather, staff and students were able to see a range of insects including at least 4 species of bumblebee, whose furry bodies help them to continue foraging in colder conditions.
Alex Franklin and Lucy Aphramor (centre) with Siobhan Davies (left) and Scott Delahunta (right) from the Centre for Dance Research.
Cross-Centre Practice Research Workshop. 20-23 May 2024. Coventry University
Held over four days, this open workshop series was designed to share and map the diverse types of practice research taking place across Coventry University including Centres for Arts Memory & Communities, Postdigital Cultures, Dance Research, Business in Society, Trust Peace & Social Relations, Agroecology Water & Resilience, Global Learning and the new Centre for Creative Economies. Alex and Lucy facilitated an interactive workshop engaging participants around the concepts of ‘otherworlding’, ‘response-ability’ and care-full scholarship – themes also explored in the Care-full Scholarship MOOC.
Urban blue-green spaces
Help restore our natural heritage! Share your knowledge of the Charterhouse Heritage Park by participating in our ecological restoration survey. Your insights are invaluable in guiding our efforts to revive, preserve and understand the area’s ecosystem and our value of it. Join us in making a difference today!
Mita won 3rd place at the 3-Minute Presentation competition
Prismita Nursetyowati (Mita) won third place at the 3-Minute Presentation competition organised by the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering (FTSL) at the Institut Teknologi Bandung. Mita is a first-year PhD student for the cotutelle programme between Coventry University (DoS Dr Anna Bogush) and Institut Teknologi Bandung (DoS Prof. Dwina Roosmini). Her presentation was about the potential contribution of septic systems to antibiotic pollution in high-risk sanitation areas in the Citarum River (Indonesia).
Participation in the ReCAD24 Conference
David Anene, a first-year postgraduate researcher (PGR supervised by DoS Dr Anna Bogush) at CAWR, was one of the CAWR PGRs who represented our centre at the annual conference organised by the Doctoral College on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. During the conference, David presented a poster on his research about microplastics and chemical additives released from facemasks. His presentation was well-received and sparked engaging discussions with researchers from various centres across the university. David also participated in workshops and training sessions, gaining valuable insights into sharing research findings and effectively communicating with diverse audiences. His involvement and other PGRs highlight our commitment to cutting edge research and promoting academic networking and collaborative research.
Queer Food conference
Lucy Aphramor facilitated an online workshop at the Queer Food Conference, Boston, where gastronomists, cooks, chefs, community organisers, scholars, academic, students, writers and more gathered to share thoughts on the generative role of queerness in the food space.
You can take a look at the conference below, and get a taste of the Cookies That Can Change Your Life workshop in this review.
CAWR students at ¡Serendipity Gardens!
To celebrate the end of the teaching sessions for this year’s MSc programme, we visited ¡Serendipity Gardens!, located within the Sherbourne Valley Allotments in Coventry where we explored the social and biophysical structures and functions that allotments can offer to local citizens. It was great to discuss important topics in such a relaxed location!
¡Serendipity Gardens! is a joint initiative led by CAWR staff Georges Félix, and PhD candidates Lucas Worsdell and Diana Rodríguez.
Yasaman Namazi was a Finalist at the PGR of the Year Competition at RCAD24
Yasaman Namazi, a CAWR PhD student and the research centre nominee for the PGR of the Year competition, presented her research at RCAD24 as one of the finalists of this competition.
Her research focuses on the cooling effect of green areas to mitigate overheating in UK primary schools.
“With global warming, heatwaves are expected to become longer and more frequent. Northern European countries like the UK are particularly unprepared for rising temperatures because their buildings, including schools, are designed for mild, cold climates. They are well-insulated, to keep the heat in! However, green spaces with trees can significantly lower temperatures with their shade and through evapotranspiration. Children, especially younger ones in primary schools, are highly vulnerable to heat. They have a higher metabolic rate and limited sweating capacity, which means they will feel warm faster than adults. Their behaviour is also different; they might feel warm but never consider taking off their jacket or having a cold drink.
Moreover, thermal discomfort affects children's well-being and educational performance.” Yasaman explained.
She conducted field studies in Coventry primary schools during the hot summer of 2023. The outcomes of her research could have various academic, environmental, health and economic impacts.
Keynote presentation at the 7th International Conference of Contemporary Architecture and Urbanism, Alanya, Turkiye, 23-24 May 2024
Professor Sue Charlesworth was invited to give a keynote talk on: “Managing Surface Water in Challenging Environments: Designing Nature Based Solutions in Slums and Refugee Camps”. She also chaired a session on “Habitat studies” which covered urban, rural and agricultural land uses as well as abandonment of buildings and their destruction due to war from around the world.
Food Ethics Council
The Food Ethics Council held their latest Council meeting at Ryton, with CAWR members Moya Kneafsey, Patrick Mulvany, Dee Woods, and Lucy Aphramor among those in attendance. For a taste of the ethos of the Food Ethics Council you can what read Dan Crossley, Chief Executive, has to say about the shelf life of food banks in his latest Column for the Grocer:
The Power Pony Project kicks off
This week Donna was delighted to be working with the green careers and projects charity, Groundwork, to kick off the Power Pony Project. Rowena Moyse of South Wales Carriage Driving Centre and Peter and Lisa Morgan of Torcoed stud are training the ponies and, together, we hope to use the ponies to demonstrate the importance of mixed grazing regimes in conservation management programmes. The ponies will also be used to assist environmental managers, such as those in the National Trust, with conservation management tasks such as bracken bashing, chain harrowing and dragging invasive species bushes from infested areas. Keep an eye on this newsletter for our summer demonstration events in south Wales!!
9k Funding secured
Deakin-Coventry Cotutelle collaborating partners (Dr Stevanovic and Dr Kourtchev) successfully secured funding (9k EUR) for two PhD students to access the world class research facilities in Switzerland. The funding will allow Dimple Pathania (Cotutelle PGR) to study the impact of anthropogenic pollution on allergenicity of pollen. The funding was obtained through EU ATMO-ACCESS that supports Trans-National Access (TNA) to services offered by selected, first-class European research facilities.
CAWR on Question Time
The BBC’s Question Time came to Coventry on the 23rd of May, it was hosted by Coventry University in Square One. Two members of CAWR, Geraldine Brown and Natalie Morley got to join the audience. It was great to see Question Time visit Coventry University.
ATTER Writeshop hosted at CAWR
The ATTER project is anchored in agroecological transitions at territorial scales, consolidating researcher and practitioner networks across Europe and the UK. From 18-22 March 2024, a week-long Writeshop was hosted by CAWR staff (Georges Félix, Chris Maughan, Julia Wright) on behalf of the ATTER Consortium. The objective of this event was to foster capacity-building in scientific writing skills alongside project partners from France and Italy, who also enjoyed visiting the wonders of Coventry City and Ryton Organic Gardens.
Royal Geographical Society IBS Food Studies Group Annual Study Day, Coventry
The RGS Food Studies Research Group held their annual gathering in Coventry May 21-22. After a warm welcome and orientation talk by Georges Felix at Serendipity Gardens, Sherbourne Allotment, we dodged the rain for a delicious outdoor meal at the Food Union site. CAWR colleagues were well represented at the Elm Bank ‘new directions’ workshops on 22nd, attended by Lopa Saxena, Emma Burnett, Alison Rigg, Juliano Dos Santos, Jason Hoepfl, Lamis Jamil, and Lucy Aphramor. Juliano, who arrived at CAWR in February, especially valued the chance to interact with CAWR colleagues and researchers from further afield.
He reflected ‘Personally, as I have a natural science background, it was very interesting to learn more through the social science aspects of the discussion, like food security and policy actions needed to make food production systems and distribution more effective and democratic.’
Future of Food Symposium 2024
Dr Lopa Saxena, as a member of the Symposium Organising Committee, and Lamis Jamil, as a speaker, participated in the 2024 Future of Food Symposium hosted by the University of Nottingham on 20-21 May. Lopa also chaired a session on ‘Community Food Initiatives and Dignity’, which included four interesting presentations on successful approaches to community food provisioning and social eating in the UK. In this session, Lamis presented her work on the importance of understanding culture using embodied methodologies within community kitchens, focusing on a deep case study of the Granville Community Kitchen in South Kilburn, London. Over two days, we listened to a wide range of presentations and participated in panel discussions. There was a lot to reflect on… Importantly, how can we effectively build on the new insights/learning gathered during this Symposium to bring together researchers, practitioners, businesses, and policymakers to create more equitable, healthy, and sustainable food systems for all?
Lake View Park apple trees
Liz Trenchard and Sam Green of Growing Connections (undertaking research into community tree nurseries) visited Lake View Park, Coventry with Coventry City Council ecologist Beth Ireland to look at the old orchard onsite, and former allotments, and will provide 10 local apple trees grown in a pilot community tree nursery at CAWR.
Photo of Beth Ireland by a cherry at Lake View Park.
As part of the Growing Connections research into community tree nurseries the team of Liz Trenchard, Sam Green and Gabriele Warwick have a developed a pilot community tree nursery of heritage apple varieties from Coventry, making Coventry provenance trees available for neighborhood planting projects with the help of local volunteers.
Publications
Tshuma, F., Swanepoel. P.A, Labuschagne, J., Bennett, J., and Rayns, F. (2024). Tillage rotation and biostimulants can compensate for reduced synthetic agrochemical application in a dryland cropping system. Cogent Food and Agriculture. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2024.2352958
Mushunje, L.H., Marandure, T., Chikwhana, O.C., Bennett, J., Hawkins, H-J, Palmer, A., Wu, L., Marufu, M. and Mapiye, C. (2024). Supplementation of Acacia dealbata versus Acacia mearnsii leaf-meal has potential to maintain growth performance of lambs grazing low-quality communal rangelands in South Africa. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 56:152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-024-04004-z
Aphramor, L. How Community Connections Boost Our Health. Permaculture Magazine. Issue 119 pp 13-15. Spring 2024.
Chen D.T., Roy A., Bogush A., Stegemann J.A. (2024) Speciation of toxic metals in metal finishing filter cake by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Journal of Environmental Management, 360, 120994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120994
Aphramor, L. (2024) Refarming nutrition beyond the healthy/unhealthy binary. Food Ethics Council blog. April 2024. https://www.foodethicscouncil.org/opinion/reframing-nutrition-beyond-the-binary/
Bogush A., Kourtchev I. (2024) Disposable surgical/medical face masks and filtering face pieces: source of microplastics and chemical additives in the environment. Environmental Pollution, 348, 123792. https://doi.org/10.016/j.envpol.2024.123792
Quispe J.I.B., Campos L., Masek O., Bogush A. (2024) Removal of anionic surfactant from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto biochars: characterisation, kinetics, and mechanism. Environmental Technology. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593330.2024.2304677
Jones, T. S., Culham, A., Pickles, B. J., & David, J. (2024). Can gardeners identify 'future invaders'? NeoBiota, 91, pp.125-144. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.91.110560
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 PM2.5 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
