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CAWR Newsletter
February 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.
DAISY project kicks off
The DAISY consortium
The DAISY project launched via a kick off meeting 30-31 January in Coventry with eight partners. This three-year Horizon Europe project seeks to drive systemic change to promote biodiversity and equity by finding the most effective mixes of digital, technological and social innovations with more traditional regulatory creative and behavioural interventions.
In line with our values in minimising our environmental impact, attendees brought their own reusable cups and we provided fairtrade teas and coffee and organic fruit.
CAWR’s DAISY team is Alex Franklin (PI), Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz, Sian Green, Lindy Binder and Julia Stew.
Bringing our own reusable cups reduces DAISY's environmental impact
Push-pull agroforestry-fodder and insect-protein production in women-led climate-smart livestock systems in Botswana and South Africa
CAWR is partnering on a new 3-year (2025-27) CA$ 1.3m IDRC Climate-Resilient Animal Fund (RECAF) project involving Dr Lovemore Gwiriri (CU lead) and Dr James Bennett (Co-I). It explores circular, on-farm integration of sustainable practices to improve goat productivity and health, reduce environmental impact and generate income for women in climate hotspots. The project led by Botswana International University of Technology also partners University of Pretoria and University of Venda. Project value to CU is £145,000.
Participants at A Place for the Heathlands?, Moesgaard Museum, 5th-7th February 2025
Digital publication sheds new light on thousands of years of heathland history
Michelle Farrell recently presented her work on the European Research Council-funded Anthropogenic Heathlands (ANTHEA) project at a conference held at Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus, Denmark. The conference marked the launch of an open access digital publication, A Place for the Heathlands?, which brings together contributions ranging from archaeology, history and ecology to artistic research and practice to explore the complex ecological, cultural and historical importance of heathland landscapes. The publication examines how people, animals and environments have shaped and been shaped by these landscapes over thousands of years, and offers new perspectives on current agendas, such as the green transition and biodiversity conservation, by questioning whether there is still a place for heathlands in a time that is characterised by modern agriculture and climate change.
Growing Connections project planting local apples at Cannon Park School
Liz Trenchard discussing planting trees together with pupils from Cannon Park school.
As part of the Growing Connections project, researching community tree nurseries in UK, researchers Liz Trenchard and Sam Green have set up a pilot community tree nursery at Ryton Organic Gardens, grafting local apples with community members over the last two winters. Now these grafted apple trees are being requested by local groups for planting projects, and on 11th February the researchers joined pupils, staff, council ecologist and councillor to plant apple trees at Cannon Park School which is developing a wildlife and food garden area behind the playground for children to spend time learning in nature.
Group photo of participants of the workshop at the National Humanities Centre, North Carolina, USA
A two-day workshop on Reparative Geographies at the National Humanities Centre, North Carolina, USA
Jasber was invited to a two-day workshop on ‘Reparative Geographies’, at the National Humanities Centre, North Carolina, organised by Vanderbilt University, and Queens Mary University, London. The workshop involved scholars working on racism, reparations, and indigenous studies from the USA, Canada, and the UK with the aim to learn from one another and consider developing a learning and action community/network. All attendees, including Jasber, were asked to present on how they conceptualised reparations and/or repair in their work. Jasber presented on the intersection of land, food, immigration powers, and racial justice from a UK perspective.
Visits to the BOA Conference with Virginia Colquhoun Gonzales; and NRM with Francis Rayns and Raghavendra Prasad; RHP visit to CAWR with Raghavendra Prasad, Michelle van Winden, Becca Collier, Francis Rayns, Hans Verhagen and Marco Zevenhoven
Peat-free Network Engagement
CAWR researcher Vicky Adams attended the BOA (British Ornamental Association) Technical Conference, networking with diverse speakers, growers and growing media manufacturers.
A visit to NRM-Cawood, was also arranged with Francis Rayns and Raghavendra Prasad (RHS). This provided an opportunity to observe the facilities of a commercial land based analytical laboratory and discuss methodologies for growing media testing.
CAWR hosted a visit from RHP “European knowledge centre for growing media” responsible for the development and implementation of growing media standards. There was discussion of RHS peat-free projects and methods regarding growing media quality.
Fruit tree nurseries in the Ardèche
Samantha Green visited organic and small-scale agroecological fruit tree nurseries in the Ardèche, France to investigate local production, sales, varieties and rootstocks used, and how skills and local varieties are shared, as part of her work with Growing Connections, researching community tree nurseries, and the ATTER project, an interdisciplinary exchange project for scaling-up agroecological transitions for territorial food systems. Three tree nursery growers shared their expertise and experiences to help others.
Green, S., Fourel, R., Lecourt, G., Grillas, H., 'What we can learn from fruit and nut tree nurseries in the Ardeche' The Organic Grower Magazine, journal of the Organic Growers Alliance, Winter 2024, No 69.
INRAE Clermont Ferrand Site Des Cézeaux
Discussions with French partners on the challenges of agroecological transition at regional levels in England
In February, Julia Wright visited colleagues at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), Clermont Ferrand, as part of the EU-Funded project Agroecological Transitions for Territorial Food Systems (ATTER). A seminar was organised to discuss the challenges of taking a territorial approach to transformation in England. Identified challenges included the weak power at regional governance levels compared to other country partners, as well as the cultural sensitivities and merits of a territorial versus a bioregional approach.
Peat-free winter salad
Lettuces were harvested, weighed and assessed before being eaten
CAWR researchers working to phase out peat-based blocks have had a bumper lettuce harvest from the polytunnel. In addition to field-scale trials of summer lettuce, a winter variety was grown both at Ryton Organic Gardens and at Riverford’s Wash Farm in Devon. The lettuce, grown in a range of peat-free blends were assessed and then provided some welcome winter greens on the staff dining table. See the latest video about our project:
Agroecology news: Professor Ulrich Schmutz appointed to Agroecology Partnership
Ulrich Schmutz was appointed member of the ‘Science and Stakeholder Advisory Board’ of the ‘Agroecology Partnership‘ (with €300 million the largest agroecology funding scheme in the world).
In addition he was appointed scientific chair of the 2nd call on “Integrating environmental, economic and social perspectives in assessing the performance of agroecology. Value-chain and policy implications”
The UK is not eligible for direct funding from this 50/50 co-fund as the previous UK-government has not signed up.
However, there is a new SCAR*-Agroecology-2 (link is to SCAR-Agroecology-1, as SCAR-Agroecology-2 is new) which prepares the next Agroecology Partnership and Defra has signed-up and provided a Defra Principal Scientist co-chair: Dr Jaswinder Kaur. Together with France and Spain they led this work. Prof Schmutz also participates in this SCAR-Agroecology-2. It is open to further participation.
*SCAR (Standing Committee on Agricultural Research) has all Europe’s governments signed up including UK, Iceland, Norway and Turkey; it is not an EU body.
Students at Canary Wharf, after their visit to the London Museum
A MSc field trip to the London Museum to view the London, Sugar and Slavery exhibition
As part of the People, Power, and Knowledge module’s annual field trip, students and staff visited the permanent exhibition at London Museum on Sugar, Slavery and Trade. The exhibition provides an overview on the relationship between race, chattel slavery, sugar plantations, and trade. We also discussed the link between the historical planation model of agriculture and modern agriculture.
ATTER activities in Alto Salerno, Italy
ATTER secondment in Alto Salento, Italy
As part of the ATTER project, Dr. Leonardo Faedo collaborated with the project partners, GAL Alto Salento 2020 in Puglia, It. The secondment mapped local action initiatives, helping to create a typology of the local foodscape. An ATTER seminar was held at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute (CIHEAM-Bari) to discuss results and connect partner networks.
Publications
Farrell, M. and Bunting, M.J. (2025) Beyond decline: heathland and the dynamics of cultural and environmental change in Bronze Age Orkney. In Løvschal, M. and Grønneberg, K. (eds) A Place for the Heathlands? Jutland Archaeological Society. https://heathland.place/beyond-decline
Green, S., Fourel, R., Lecourt, G., Grillas, H., 'What we can learn from fruit and nut tree nurseries in the Ardeche' The Organic Grower Magazine, journal of the Organic Growers Alliance, Winter 2024, No 69.
Folorunsho O, Bogush A, Kourtchev I. (2025) Occurrence of emerging and persistent organic pollutants in the rivers Cam, Ouse and Thames, UK. Sci Total Environ. 14;962:178436. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178436.
Bautista Quispe, J. I., Campos, L. C., Trejos, B., & Bogush, A. (2024). Exploring rural school students’ perceptions, willingness, motivations, and concerns regarding greywater treatment and reuse in southern Peru. Sustainable Environment, 11 (1). doi.org/10.1080/27658511.2024.2440960
REDDY, MASSEI, JARDANI, DIEPPOIS et al. (2024) Training deep learning models with a multi-station approach and static aquifer attributes for groundwater level simulation: what’s the best way to leverage regionalised information? HESS. In-press, preprint available at https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-794
DIOP, TRAMBLAY, BODIAN, EKOLU, ROUCHE, DIEPPOIS (2024) Flood frequency analysis in West Africa. Journal of Flood Risk Management. In-press.
BAULON, FOSSA, MASSEI, FLIPO, GALLOIS, FOURNIER, DIEPPOIS, et al. (2024) Sensitivity of groundwater levels to low-frequency climate variability in a large watershed. Sci. Total Environ. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177636
MIRGOL, DIEPPOIS, et al. (2024) Future changes in agrometeorological extremes in the southern Mediterranean region: when and where will they affect croplands and wheatlands? Agric. For. Meteorol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110232
YANG, FOK, DIEPPOIS, et al. (2024) Examining relations between sea-level anomalies in the Nino3.4 region and terrestrial hydroclimatic conditions in China. J. Hydrol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131942
Yitbarek, TW, Wilson, JRU, Dehnen-Schmutz, K (2025): An assessment of tree planting schemes in Ethiopia: schemes that adhere to guidelines on good governance are more effective. Journal of Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123475
Milgroom, J., Brem-Wilson, J. (2024) Opinion: How informal policies of care shape agroecological food systems. Rooted Magazine: Issue 1 on Policies for Agroecology. Open access
Kiss, C., Binder, L. (2024) Public procurement powering agroecological transformation in Europe. Rooted Magazine: Issue 1 on Policies for Agroecology. Open access
Faedo, L., Matias, C., Verdi, R., Wright, J., Rayns, F., Kretzschmar, A., & Boff, P. (2024). The use of mineral dynamised high dilutions for natural plant biostimulation; effects on plant growth, crop production, fruit quality, pest and disease incidence in agroecological strawberry cultivation. Biological Agriculture & Horticulture, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/01448765.2024.2396894
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
Erratum January 2025 newsletter: “CAWR Founding Director” should have stated “CAWR Co-Founder and Director.”
