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CAWR Newsletter
August 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.
Plant Bioindicators Research Workshops - building evidence for their reliability as a soil testing method
workshop at Edston Farm, Scotland.
This summer Chris Maughan led five research workshops on five farms across the UK, in a project funded by Pasture for Life. The workshops offered training for farmers interested in using plants as a way to test their soil, and also gathered data on their reliability as a soil testing method. Generously supported by Georges Felix and Francis Rayns.
Ali Parsa Presents at ISDC2024 in Bergen, Norway
Ali Parsa, an early career researcher at CAWR and a member of System Dynamics Society (SDS), recently participated in the International System Dynamics Conference (ISDS) 2024 in Bergen, Norway. At the conference, he presented his latest paper on environmental, social and economic impacts of urban food waste, employing a system dynamics approach. Additionally, he shared insights from his ongoing work on a data-driven agent-based model of agroforestry adoption in England, as part of AGROMIX Project.
The conference was a valuable platform for Ali to connect with system modellers and thinkers from around the world, receive insightful feedback, and lay the groundwork for future research collaborations.
ATTER and Growing Connections visit to Ardeche, France
In August as part of the ATTER project Sam Green of Growing Connections visited the Ardeche region in France to meet organic fruit tree growers. Sam visited several small local producers, including three organic fruit and nut tree nurseries in the mountains where she was able to talk to the growers about their methods of fruit tree grafting and rootstock production. Sam also visited Ferme Boulon a goat farm which produces ‘Picodon of the Ardeche’ an organic goat’s cheese and as well as chestnut products. Farmer Coulon explained how new technology on her farm has changed farming life for the better, she now uses GPS on goat collars and this helps her find her goats on the mountain more quickly.
New publication in Journal of Geophysical Research
Southern African precipitation changes greatly impact local communities, affecting water and food security. However, projected precipitation changes in the region are highly uncertain. This study highlights that the main source of this uncertainty is internal climate variability, particularly its influence on the location of the Angola Low.
Radical Nutrition Workshops at Queer Spirit Festival
Dietitian Lucy Aphramor from CAWR facilitated two nutrition workshops among the many innovative sessions offered at Queer Spirit festival 2024. One workshop explored the aetiology of gut conditions in the context of historical, familial, and contemporary social issues and how this entangled understanding impacted day-to-day management. The second took an abolitionist approach to public health nutrition narratives, moving from a standard stance of individualism to reframe personal and collective flourishing as co-constituted, a bedrock assumption for discussion on how to advance health- and climate-justice through a liberatory food agenda.
Coventry-led research on discovery of forever chemicals over pristine Amazon forest was featured in New Scientist and French speaking media.
Following a recent publication in Science of the Total Environment, Ivan Kourtchev was interviewed by a New Scientist journalist to discuss the discovery of “forever chemicals” above the pristine Amazon Forest. The full interview is available in the September issue of the magazine. This publication also attracted attention from French and Canadian media and was featured on several media platforms including Ça m'intéresse and Reporterre.
CAWR visit to Bordon Hill Nurseries Ltd.
CAWR researchers visiting Bordon Hill Nurseries Ltd.
On 6th August, CAWR researchers visited Bordon Hill Nurseries Ltd. (Stratford-upon-Avon) along with new PhD researcher Vicky Adams. This was to set up preliminary connections for the project “Evaluating peat-free propagation media suitable for production of high-quality ornamental transplants”. This is a PhD co-funded by the RHS within their peat-free fellowship which is bringing together the government, growers and growing media manufacturers assisting in research and development of sustainable alternatives in the industry’s transition from peat based growing media. It builds on previous CAWR work but with a focus on ornamental plants rather than vegetables.
PGR Day and BBQ
On the 7th of August CAWR PGR’s organised a PGR Day and Barbecue for staff and students. They presented their work and created a space for support and feedback. It was engaging and enjoyable day for all.
'Botanical Encounters' Walking Tour of St James' Park: Decolonising our relationship with plants and gardens
Britain’s attractive pleasure gardens have plants designed to provide a wholesome environment and space for social life and entertainment, often using ‘exotic’ plants. But what stories do these plants tell? This botanising guided walk through our neighbouring St James’ Park visualised the influence of the colonial plant exchange on contemporary gardens, opening up conversations about our relationships with plants, history, and the planet. This activity was facilitated on Fri 12 and Sat 13 July by Dr. Christina Horvath (University of Bath), and Dr. Georges Félix (CAWR, Coventry University) during The British Academy Summer Showcase 2024 at Carlton House, London.
Publications
Novoa, A., Vimercati, G., Brundu, G., Richardson, D. M.,..Dehnen-Schmutz, K. … Weldesemaet, Y.T…. & Wilson, J. R. (2024). Stakeholders' views on the global guidelines for the sustainable use of non‐native trees. People and Nature 6: 1640-1654. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10670
Monerie, P.-A., Dieppois, B., Pohl, B., & Crétat, J. (2024). Internally driven variability of the Angola low is the main source of uncertainty for the future changes in southern African precipitation. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 129, e2024JD041255. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JD041255
Pandamkulangara Kizhakkethil, J., Shi, Z., Bogush, A., & Kourtchev, I. (2024). Aerosolisation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during aeration of contaminated aqueous solutions. Atmospheric Environment, 120716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2024.120716
Chiara Tornaghi, Michiel Dehaene (2024), AGROECOLOGICAL URBANISM: What is it, why we need it, and the role of UN-Habitat. Policy Briefing, Coventry, pp. 1-6, Open access
Chiara Tornaghi (2024), “Raising the ambition of urban agriculture in public space: nurturing urban agroecology and more-than-human health”, Chapter 13 in Beata Sirowy, Deni Ruggeri (eds), Urban Agriculture in Public Space: Planning and Designing for Human Flourishing in Northern European Cities and Beyond, SpringerNature, ISBN: 978-3-031-41549-4. Gold open access here
Raúl Terrile* , Nahuel Martinez, Nicolás Paz, Francisco Brunotto, Mariano Costa, Natalia Budai, Cristina Ruiz,Macarena Rizzi, Marta Invernizzi, Telma Scarpeci, Rubén D Piacentini, Kevin Winter and Chiara Tornaghi (2024), “Urban food waste for soil amendment? Analysis and characterisation of compost for use as inputs in agroecological horticultural production systems in the city of Rosario, Argentina”, in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems - Agroecology and Ecosystem Services, vol. 8, first published 5th April 2024, open access here
Aphramor, L. (2024) Queering as Process: Disrupting Scientific Imperialism for Health Justice Using Kitchen Table Pedagogy. Journal of Critical Dietetics, 7:2. https://doi.org/10.32920/jcd.v7i2.1964
Ekolu J., Dieppois B, Tramblay Y., Villarini G., Slater L.J., Mahé G., Paturel J-E, Eden J.M., Moulds S., Sidibe M., Camberlin P.,Pohl B., Van de Wiel M. (2024) Variability in flood frequency in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of large-scale climate modes of variability and their future impacts, Journal of Hydrology, 640, 131679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131679
Folorunsho, O., Kizhakkethil Pandamkulangara, J., Bogush, A., and Kourtchev, I. (2024) Effect of short-term sample storage and preparatory conditions on losses of 18 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to container materials. Chemosphere, ScienceDirect. 363, 142814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142814
Namazi, Y., S. Charlesworth, A. Montazami and M. Taleghani (2024) The impact of local microclimates and Urban Greening Factor on schools’ thermal conditions during summer: a study in Coventry, UK. Building and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.111793
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
