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CAWR Newsletter
June 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.
Ryton fruit walk
Gardens Supervisor Craig Mundy and CAWR researcher Judith Conroy led a guided tour of Ryton Organic Gardens, looking at the wide range of fruiting plants growing on-site. Staff and students from different departments were able to spend time together in the gardens, discovering and sampling some of the tasty and sometimes unusual delights on offer.
Urban flooding: identifying novel technologies (large scale testing facilities) for sewer rehabilitation
For the Research Excellence Development Fund, Dr Matteo Rubinato visited IKT – Institute for Underground Infrastructure, in Germany, to discuss challenges that urban drainage systems are facing due to their capacity being more frequently exceeded during heavy rainfall, leading to flooding. Thus, discussed opportunities to target new technologies in rehabilitating sewers.
CAWR researchers awarded EU funding to access prestigious chemical analysis lab
A project led by Ivan Kourtchev and co-led by Steve Coupe received funding to study the aerosolisation dynamics and biological interactions of GenX “forever chemicals" in the advanced simulation chamber facilities at Genoa University in Italy. This would be the first use of chamber technology to examine the association between microbes and a new generation of toxic “forever chemicals” and possible effect on human health through understanding the inhalable fraction of these pollutants. The funding will also allow a Coventry PGR to gain experience in advanced technologies and generate data for their ongoing PhD project.
National Plant Collection at CAWR collaboration with CU Architecture MSc students
Four CU Architecture MSc students chose to undertake a group design-and-build project to the brief ‘a modular, demountable, transportable display system, for the National Collection of Spider Plants, using recycled materials found onsite’ proposed by Samantha Green, so that the plant collection, demonstrating conservation of cultivated varieties of this well known plant species, could be easily displayed at indoor and outdoor conservation events.
MSc Architecture course director Philippa Skipp and students Monde Dlamini, Lewis Munyoro, Tobi Ayoola and Nehemiah Adegbasa visited the greenhouses at CAWR to see the spider plant collection, and the recycled building materials available in the Ryton Organic Gardens skip with CAWR sustainability team member Francis Rayns. The MSc team undertook the project successfully and returned to CAWR with their prototype in June, so a part of the national Chlorophytum comosum collection can now go on tour.
Growing Connections seasonal views
Natalie Morley, CAWR operations administrator, flew CAWR's drone over Piles Coppice, Coventry for Growing Connections' community tree nursery research project work. Liz Trenchard, Sam Green and Gabriele Warwick are growing heritage apples and trees of local interest including locally important small leaved lime trees by cuttings from Piles Coppice, in a pilot community tree nursery at CAWR. Natalie flew the drone in Spring to look for small leaved lime tree flowers and to add to footage for a future video of seasonal viewpoints from the woods.
CAWR at the 26th Session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP)
Between June 3rd and 7th, Dr Bastien Dieppois was taking part of the Intergovernmental Council of the IHP to discuss progress with the programme and its future direction. The IHP is a key UN programme in the area of water that helps to advance hydrological science, policy and management.
CAWR Gets Involved In The Great Big Green Week
The Great Big Green Week ran from the 8th-16th of June. 2024’s theme was ‘Let’s Swap Together For Good.’ We set up 'CAWR's Tropical Treasures' bring and take table for staff and students to get involved.
Scaling up promising mixes using the blocking machine at Delfland Nurseries
Progress on peat-free growing media
CAWR researchers working to phase out peat-based growing media have been trialing their prototype mixes with project partner Delfland Nurseries. Following pilot trials at Ryton Organic Gardens, Francis Rayns, Leonardo Faedo and Judith Conroy took promising blends to Delfland to test their performance on a larger scale. Lettuces sown in the blocks will be planted out by project lead Riverford Organic Farmers and their progress monitored. More information can be found on the project web page and in the latest video.
CAWR PGRs and an academic present their work at Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Research forum 2024
Amoluck Eluri, Jishnu Pandamkulangara Kizhakkethil and Omotola Folorunsho presented their PhD work on emerging pollutant as posters at Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Research forum in London.
Ivan Kourtchev gave a talk on discovery of “forever chemicals” above pristine Amazon forest in Brazil. This work was recently published in Science of the Total Environment.
The event showcased cutting-edge analytical chemistry and applications to stimulate new research, collaboration and engagement between academia and industry.
Presentation on ‘A researcher’s reflection on a collaborative participatory research photovoice process. Through the lens of the lived experience - No Recourse to Public Funds’.
Jasber presented at a lunch time seminar series at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), London. Jasber offered a reflection on conducting a participatory action research project with people who claiming their international right to asylum and who are subject to no recourse to public funds. Jasber discussed the beauty and the challenges of conducting participatory action research on no recourse to public funds and its links to right to food and other human rights violations.
Jasber was invited by NIESR to join their advisory board for a participatory research project exploring Pakistani and Bangladeshi women’s employment aspirations in London’s labour market, funded by Greater London Authority Workforce Integration Network (WIN). The project will be launched in July 2024, see link for further details:
This week in Nature…
In addition to doing research, CAWR’s Dr Emma Burnett is a fiction writer. This week, one of her pieces was published in Nature: Futures, the award-winning science-fiction section of Nature.
‘Plastic eating fungus caused doomsday [2][3]’ is freely available to read, and if you need more distraction at your desk, so are most of Emma’s short stories (links can be found here).
International Congress of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2024 Toronto
CAWR researcher Lucy Aphramor participated in two panels with international colleagues and gave an Expert Lecture in the International Congress of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2024, Toronto. Queering Dietetics As a Liberatory Process and Expert Lecture Ways of Knowing - Linking Agroecology and Dietetic Sustainability Policy were held within the Food Culture, Advocacy, and Social Justice theme, and Knowledge Systems for Engagement with Sustainable Food Systems in Dietetics contributed to the Dietetic and Interprofessional Education theme.
Presentation on ‘Agroecology and Labour’
Jasber Singh was invited by the Food and Worker Network (FAWN) to present a workshop on agroecology and labour rights at Organic Lea, London. Jasber conducted a participatory workshop on defining agroecology collectively, and then discussed his experience of working in India and the UK on agroecology. Jasber offered a reflection on the importance of scaling out agroecology in South Asia, particularly in South India. Jasber, drawing from a paper written by Sagari Ramdas and Michel Pimbert, raised concerns on the ways in which agroecology, in some cases, has reproduced caste oppression and erased gendered labour rights. Participants at the workshop went on discuss more broadly the challenge of scaling out agroecology and integrating strong labour rights for workers in the global south, and here in the UK.
Racks of media inoculated with a range of edible fungi
Gourmet mushroom production
As part of the UKRI project to develop peat-free growing media for salad transplants we have been exploring a wide range of alternative materials including spent mushroom compost. Francis Rayns visited the production facility of Dart Valley Fungi who work closely with Project Lead Riverford Organic Farmers. They grow a variety of ‘gourmet’ species such as lion’s mane, shitake and oyster mushrooms on substrates such as wood pellets and bran; after their harvest this could be utilsed in plant growing media.
Ivan Kourtchev received John Beynon Travel and Conference Fund to attend BMSS-BSPR Super Meeting 2024
Ivan Kourtchev received a John Beynon Travel and Conference Fund to present his work on novel development and application of high resolution mass spectrometry for identification of emerging pollutants at the British Mass Spectrometry Society (BMSS)-BSPR Super Meeting 2024. The meeting offers an extensive program featuring cutting-edge scientific sessions in analytical chemistry and mass spectrometry.
Speaker at a roundtable on pedagogy for the seminar series - Pluriversal Feminisms and Multispecies Justice: Thinking with/from the Global South.
Jasber Singh presented at a roundtable on pedagogy at Queens Mary University. Jasber spoke about his pedagogical practice within in the university and with community-led education projects. Panel members Afaf Jabiri, University of East London, Abeera Khan, SOAS University of London, Jo Krishnakumar, SOAS, and Fatima Maatwk, University of Westminster, spoke to the following questions.
How can feminist pedagogical practices in and outside the classroom grapple with this moment of genocidal violence, suspension and interregnum that we find ourselves in?
How do we manifest critical hope for a possible future where all forms of life co-exist in an ethical relation to each other?
How do you work outside of the university/traditional education spaces? Why is this work of political education important for you?
What methods of pedagogy do we adopt to address, sit with, and work through grief, exhaustion, rage, despair, and move toward love, mutuality, intimacy, and justice-to-come? What is your dream for tomorrow?
The panel discussed the importance of participatory and feminist approach to pedagogy.
Rebecca sieving ingredients for use in prototype growing media blends
Local work placement
Rebecca Schmutz from North Leamington School joined the team at CAWR for a 1 week work placement. She helped with a variety of tasks, in particular our UKRI funded project to develop peat-free growing media for blocking. As well as laboratory work which included pH and conductivity analyses of materials, Rebecca helped with some of the messier outdoors jobs such as sieving composts.
Ecology students discussing Citizen Science in Ryton Organic Gardens
Ecology students visit Ryton Organic Gardens
A group of Degree Apprentice students visited Ryton Organic Gardens as part of their module on Ecology. Lopa Saxena and Francis Rayns have recently delivered this module with the assistance of Judith Conroy and Samantha Green. One of the topics covered was the role of citizen science for ecological monitoring and this was illustrated by reference to two key projects: Blooms for Bees led by CAWR and Check a Sweet Chestnut run in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society.
Coventry University’s AGROMIX project at the 7th European Agroforestry Conference in Brno, Czech Republic
EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski presentation at conference opening
Rosemary Venn, Marco van de Wiel, Julia Wright and Ulrich Schmutz attended the 4 day conference and farm tours in Czechia and Austria. Many of the 28 AGROMIX project (7-million project) partners presented work and the CU focus was on policy with a presentation on agroforestry policy needs for the next EU commission and a poster comparing EU policies with other large democratic region (US, Brazil, India). In his introduction speech the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski specifically mentioned the Brussels Agromix summit as the only project in his presentation - a sign our work and the agroecology approach is taken seriously at EU top level, while it might still be partly ignored, due to the composition of the next EU parliament. Conference participants adopted the “Brno Agroforestry Declaration” for Europe (link to full text PDF).
Organic Farm in Austria with high-value timber tree strips in cereal field
Developing Creative Research Practices
In June, Geraldine Brown was invited to speak at the British Sociological Association Southwest Medical Sociology Conference, where the theme was "Developing Creative Research Practices." Geraldine was pleased to share her experiences of using creative methods and how she and the CU team (including Alex Franklin, Barbara Smith, and Lindy Binder), are using participatory film-making in the EU-funded study, Planet4B Home page - PLANET4B Project - Better decisions for biodiversity and people
Presented at the University of the West Indies and the University of Leicester International Summer School
Coya Halley is a PhD candidate at CAWR. In May, she attended a summer school organized by the University of the West Indies and the University of Leicester International Summer held at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, to explore Gender, Violence, and Conflict. During the event, Coya presented emerging themes from her research, and explores a community land-based approach to address domestic violence in Guyana among incarcerated women. Her presentation focused on using creative practice to create a humanizing space that fosters engagement.
National Allotment Society AGM
Mike Farrell, Chairman of the National Allotment Society, and Jana Fried at the CAWR stand at the NAS General Assembly in Sheffield
Building on an ongoing exploration of collaboration opportunities, Jana Fried followed an invitation by the National Allotment Society to present CAWR on June 8th at the society’s AGM in Sheffield. Jana showcased information relevant for gardeners and allotmenteers, including CAWR research projects and CAWR’s MSc Acroecology, Water and Food Sovereignty.
Publications
Kourtchev I, Sebben BG, Brill S, Barbosa CGG, Weber B, Ferreira RR, D'Oliveira FAF, Dias-Junior CQ, Popoola OAM, Williams J, Pöhlker C, Godoi RHM. Occurrence of a "forever chemical" in the atmosphere above pristine Amazon Forest. Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jun 10;944:173918. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173918. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38866151.
Roy, H. E., Pauchard, A., Stoett, P. J., Renard Truong, T., Meyerson, L. A., Bacher, S.,... Dehnen-Schmutz, K.,... & Ziller, S. R. (2024). Curbing the major and growing threats from invasive alien species is urgent and achievable. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1-8. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-024-02412-w
Abell, J., Oldbury-Thomas, D. & Mazhandu, C.,12 Jun 2024, In: Conservation Science and Practice. A Scoping Review of Academic Papers on Human Lion Conflict in Africa
Qadir M.I., R. Mumtaz, M. Manzoor, M. Saleem and S. Charlesworth. (2024) Development of Unmanned Surface Vehicle for Intelligent Water Quality Assessment and Comparative Analysis of Oversampling Techniques for Addressing Class Imbalance. IWA. Water Supply Special Issue on: Impact of Sustainable Development and Industrialization on Water Quality: Human Health and Disease Heterogeneity. 1-12. doi: 10.2166/ws.2024.141
Álvarez, R., M. Izquierdo, H. Serrano, E. García-Ordiales, C. García, F. Alberquilla, F. Barrio, E. De Miguel, S. Charlesworth, A. Ordóñez. (2024) Comparison of sediment bioavailable methods to assess the potential risk of metal(loid)s for river ecosystems. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.
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
