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CAWR Newsletter
July 2026
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.
David presenting at the Microplastics Conference
Microplastic Conference #MNP26
CAWR PhD researcher David Anene attended the Microplastics Conference, #MnP26, held at the University of Birmingham from 5–10 July 2026. His research examines the role of human behaviour in addressing the complex challenge of microplastic pollution, with a particular focus on exposure arising from face masks. While scientific innovation, policy development, and industry collaboration remain essential to long-term solutions, his work highlights that behavioural change represents an immediate and practical pathway for reducing exposure and supporting sustainable risk mitigation.
Agroecology Superheroes
Sara talking to Marc about gardening, gathering, food, music, art and more
Following her recent visit, ZALF researcher Sara Delaney has published two further articles on the Coventry Agroecological Living Lab (CALL). In her post for The Aggregate, she describes Food Union’s Marc Hammond as an ‘Agroecology Superhero’ given the huge range of activities - food and beyond - he is involved with.
Sara also spent time with Garden Organic’s Anton Rosenfeld and CAWR’s own Francis Rayns as she explored the citizen science and research co-creation which forms the history of Garden Organic and CAWR. More on that here.
The visit was part of ongoing collaboration within the AGROECOLOGY Partnership. Sara visited CALL and coordinator Judith Conroy to examine co-creation in living labs. In case you missed it, the previous account of their visit to Team Springboard’s Esther Kovacs is here.
Impact News - 'working for change'
A trial to evaluate the suitability of different growing media blends for the production of pressed blocks
CAWR research work on peat alternatives highlighted in The Guardian
Peat is still widely used in horticulture, mainly for mushroom production and as a growing media. This is despite the impact its extraction has on the release of greenhouse gasses, on biodiversity and on the risk of flooding. A recent article in The Guardian described the issues and the ongoing lobbying of government to make its use illegal; this highlighted ongoing work by CAWR to develop effective alternatives.
Development of Ethical Principles for Co-creation of Agroecological Living Labs
Plate of olives and workshop images - credit L Fuchs. Olive oil image - credit J Wright
From 2-5 July, Julia Wright joined colleagues in the Agroecology Partnership to present a framework of ethical principles for co-creation for Agroecological Living Labs, at the 16th International Farming Systems Association Conference, hosted at the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), Montpellier. This was followed by a focused workshop at local agrotourism olive farm Domaine L’Oulivie to develop a preliminary roadmap for further project activities from 2027–2029.
CAWR projects at Groundswell
A wide range of talks, walks and activities and the opportunity to share CAWR's projects at Groundswell
The SCALE-it, WINN-ORGANIC and AGROECOLOGY Partnership projects were all showcased at the recent Groundswell agricultural festival at Lannock’s Farm, Hertfordshire. The event is well attended by farmers, growers, researchers, NGOs and others interested in food production and the environment. This was a valuable opportunity for CAWR researchers, in particular interns and PhD researchers to experience the richness of UK agriculture and attend talks and demonstrations on organic, agroecological, regenerative and other cultivation types. There was also chance to meet research collaborators in a different setting and for festival attendees to find out about CAWR’s work on a range of related projects.
Dr MacManaway on how to build a stone circle - credit P Sharma
Groundswell Festival session: Harnessing Subtle Energies for optimised farm performance
On 1st July, Julia Wright chaired a session at the same Groundswell Farming Festival. The session discusses Hi-TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge) approaches for improving seed and plant health using paramagnetic rock organised as standing stones or more complex design structures. On the panel were Dr Patrick MacManaway of Animate-Earth and architect Felix Sagar of Mudmasons.
Agroecology Partnership (AP) at 3-project conference in Berlin-Dahlem, Germany
AP team and world café sessions to plan further research and funding in Horizon FP10 and field visit on scientific cultivated plants trial site in Brandenburg showing tall performance of vigorous organic rye crop for bread making
Ulrich Schmutz as WP11 Agroecology Partnership (AP) together with Judit Fehér, co-lead from KVANN Norway, attended the joint 3-project conference on ‘pesticide-free’ farming at the Research Infrastructure (RI) Julius Kühn Institute for cultivated plant research in Berlin-Dahlem. It was great to visit the world-class agroecology facilities, including Humbolt University, the superb Berlin Botanical Garden and connect to the Living Labs (LL) in the Agroecology Partnership. ‘Pesticide-free’ COST action is Organic-minus (not compatible to the legal standard of ‘certified Organic/Agroecological’) but a big step in the an ecological direction towards supporting biodiversity on 50% of farmland. The trial site in Brandenburg was also visited showing that ‘certified Organic/Agroecological’ and ‘pesticide-free’ has better crop performance then ‘conventional’ when using multi criteria assessment.
Foreseeing Management of Emerging Unprecedented Hydroclimatic Extremes to Embrace Resilience in Sub-Saharan Communities
As part of the Royal Society-funded APEX research project, Liliane Binego and Stanley Oramah travelled to Uganda from 20 June to 5 July 2026 to examine the Mpanga River Catchment Management (MRCM) area, a priority sub-catchment within the Albert Water Management Zone (AWMZ) of Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE). Key informant interviews were conducted along the catchment's full longitudinal profile, from its glacial headwaters in the Rwenzori Mountains, via its confluence with the Rushango River, to its outlet at Lake George. Stakeholder engagement was undertaken across the Mpanga River catchment with key institutions, resource managers, private sector actors, and local communities. Consultations included, Kyambogo University, the AWMZ Team Leader, Mountains of the Moon University, local council authorities, the Chairperson of the Mpanga Catchment Management Organisation, Kiko Tea Estate, and the Mpanga Hydropower Plants. Community-level discussions were also held with maize growers, cattle keepers, and valley dam users in the lower catchment. These engagements provided insights into catchment management, implementation of the MRCM Plan, and the impacts of extreme weather events on water resources and livelihoods.
Publication Spotlight!!
Leo Faedo has authored a new paper 'Floristic composition and land use potential of an urban agroforestry system in the city of Lages, Santa Catarina, in the southern region of Brazil: an observational study'.
Faedo, L. F. (2026). Floristic composition and land-use potential of an urban agroforestry system in the city of Lages, Santa Catarina, southern Brazil: an observational study. REVISTA DELOS – Desarrollo Local Sostenible, 19(82), e9759. ISSN 1988-5245 https://doi.org/10.55905/rdelosv19.n82-028
International agroforestry conference plenary, CU Wakelyns presentation, agroforestry field trials at FIBL, Frick and nearby cherry silvo-pasture agroforestry.
EURAF international agroforestry conference in Neuchatel, Switzerland
Ulrich Schmutz and Rosemary Venn attended the bi-annual international EURAF agroforestry conference (the next conference will be in Portugal, 2028, and possibly 2030 in England or Ireland). A presentation titled “Valuing silvo-arable ecosystem services for agroforestry certification” was given which included ecological economics and post-capitalist valuing of nature. Data were based on selected AGROMIX project results (a 7m Horizon RIA project with a CU-lead completed in 2025). Further highlights were excursions to FIBL (the world leading organic research centre) and agroforestry sites across Switzerland with agroforestry Living Labs. These are also valuable for the Agroecology Partnership (AP) at landscape scale and organise efficient marketing in place-based food hubs.
The conference gave a platform to advertise BAH (oldest academic journal in the world on Biological (incl. organic, agroecological, agroforestry) Agriculture and Horticulture, with CU as editors-in-chief), and Wakelyns (one of the oldest organic agroforestry research sites in the world) and now in a community buy-out to secure £1.2 million for its future (Guardian newspaper article).
OneSTOP invasive species Living Lab at Ryton Pools
The 3rd meeting of the OneSTOP Living Lab, organised by Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz and Helen Bayliss took place in July at Ryton Pools Country Park to discuss first results from the air eDNA sampling conducted there last year. Participants also had an opportunity to see the CamAlien system designed to record invasive plants along roads, canals and train tracks from vehicles and will now be available to stakeholders for testing. Further updates included the launch of the new Plant Alert citizen science app to report invasive ornamental plants from gardens and the forthcoming non-native flatworm app.
AP Visit at University Paris-Saclay and Terre et Cité, France
Farm shop and university in Paris-Saclay also shown wheat field with dry soil (Dorian Spaak) and farm estate for organic development (Ulrich Schmutz and Charlotte Brené).
Professor Dr Ulrich Schmutz, WP11 ‘Agroecology at Scale” lead, of the 300-million, 10-year Agroecology Partnership (AP) Horizon Project visited Terre et Cité and the University Paris-Saclay. Both have joined the partnership project and work in WP11. Both can also participate in the 30-million annual calls of the AP partnership.
However, a Coventry University (CU) contribution in the partnership calls is dependent on the new government to sign up and contribute 50% for England to make the partnership work. This is different to the EU Horizon project running the calls where CU and CUAS Ltd. (CU Academic Services Limited) are already in with €5.2 million (leading WP11). For the calls of the partnership funding is 50-50. This means 50% funding from the country (e.g. Ireland, Turkey, or England if signed up) topped up with 50% from the European Union (EU).
Open day delegates viewing the composting trial at Lodge Farm in Essex
Willow compost open day
Francis Rayns recently attended an open day in Essex to see trials being conducted as part of the project ‘Empowering English farmers to produce peat-free composts for horticulture’. This ADOPT funded work is evaluating different methods of composting willow, a rapidly growing crop that produces biomass which could be more widely used on-farm. Composted willow was an ingredient in some of the growing media blends developed at CAWR for use in pressed blocks.
Visit to Millpiece Gardens
Researchers working in CAWR’s Agroecological Farming Innovations cluster led by Francis Rayns visited Millpiece Gardens in Bubbenhall, just a few miles from Ryton Organic Gardens. Gareth Davies gave a tour of polytunnels and beds growing various vegetables, fruits and salads as well as agroforestry and rewilding areas.
After years working as a researcher, entomologist and grower, Gareth, who is also on the board of the Community Supported Agriculture network explained the importance of ecological principles at Millpiece: minimal soil disturbance, avoiding external inputs and harnessing natural pest and disease protection through diverse planting. Crop diversity is also a key theme of the Coventry Agroecological Living Lab coordinated by Judith Conroy, who is exploring natural pest control with Gareth at Millpiece.
Webinar about plastics in gardens and allotments
Francis Rayns and Judith Conroy presented a webinar for Garden Organic members. This was based on CAWR’s NERC funded REPAS project that explored citizen science as a way of quantifying environmental contamination. As well as highlighting the problems arising from microplastic contamination some practical tips for managing plastic use were suggested.
Agroecology Partnership Working Group on Internationalisation (WGI)
Between 29 June and 3 July 2026, Liliane Binego visited Biovision Africa Trust and the African Institute for Culture and Ecology (AFRICE) in Uganda. Engagement with Biovision Africa Trust focused on strengthening the EU AGROECOLOGY Partnership WGI and assessing agroecology scaling methods in East Africa. Engagement with AFRICE explored opportunities for research collaboration on agroecology-driven ecosystem rejuvenation, indigenous seed revival, and sustainable farming systems.
Publications
Faedo, L. F. (2026). Floristic composition and land-use potential of an urban agroforestry system in the city of Lages, Santa Catarina, southern Brazil: an observational study. REVISTA DELOS – Desarrollo Local Sostenible, 19(82), e9759. ISSN 1988-5245 https://doi.org/10.55905/rdelosv19.n82-028
Evans, M. (2025). Visual arts, insecurity and an elusive peace in Casamance, Senegal. International Journal of Art and Design Education, 44(4), 886-901. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12623
Nyanghura, Q., Mandela, P., Binego, L., Mombo, F., Schmutz, U. (2026). Analyzing the economics of agroforestry within land use and land cover change: The case of the Baga-Kisimagonja ecological corridor of Tanzania. Land Use Policy, Volume. 169, 2026, 108158, ISSN 0264-8377 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.108158
Adekola, O. E., Jones, T. S., & Dehnen-Schmutz, K. (2026). Using bioacoustics to assess the impact of evergreen invasive plants on bird communities in Wales, United Kingdom. NeoBiota, 107, 89-103. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.107.157629
He, Q., Fok, H. S., Dieppois, B. & Ferreira, V. (2026). Diverse Seasonal Patterns of Precipitation and Terrestrial Water Storage over the Indochina Peninsula: Roles of Monsoons, ENSO, and Topography. Hydrological Processes. In press. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70529
Mkonda, M. Y., Dieppois, B., Mombo, F., Binego, L. & Van De Wiel, M. (2026). Exotic Trees and Ecosystem Impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Sao Hill, Tanzania. Scientific African, 32, e03404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2026.e03404
Wright, J.; Bojesen Jensen, J.; Dufour, C.; Altobelli, N.; McTiernan, D.; Gosnell, H.; Prescott, S.L.; Legrand, T. Conscious Food Systems: Supporting Farmers’ Well-Being and Psychological Resilience. Challenges 2026, 17, 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe17010003
Diop, S. B., Tramblay, Y., Bodian, A., Dieppois, B. & Ouarda, T. (2026). Intercomparison of regional flood frequency estimation procedures in West Africa. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment. In press.
He, Q., Fok, H. S., Dieppois, B. & Ferreira, V. (2026). Diverse Seasonal Patterns of Precipitation and Terrestrial Water Storage over the Indochina Peninsula: Roles of Monsoons, ENSO, and Topography. Hydrological Processes. In press.
Argamino, C. R. A., Silva, J. dos S., Kizhakkethil, J. P., Stevanovic, S., Ward, M., McKenzie, M., Bogush, A., Hamilton, J. F., Godoi, R. H. M., and Kourtchev, I.: Assessment of the occurrence of phthalate esters (PAEs) in indoor office PM2.5 from Brazil and the UK, Atmos. Pollut. Res., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2026.102987, 102987, 2026.
Kosgahakumbura, H. H., Kourtchev, I., Charlesworth, S., Callahan, D. L., and Gates, W. P.: Stability of recycled plastics in an aqueous alkaline cementitious matrix, Polymer Degradation and Stability, 246, 111915, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111915, 2026.
Kourtchev, I., Coupe, S., Buckley, A., Pandamkulangara Kizhakkethil, J., Gatta, E., Massabò, D., Prati, P., Vernocchi, V., and Mazzei, F.: Controlled chamber formation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) aerosols with Pseudomonas fluorescens: size distributions, effects, and inhalation deposition potential, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 3237–3252, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-3237-2026, 2026.
Peyton, J. M., Rorke, S., Aldridge, D. C., Pescott, O. L., Dehnen‐Schmutz, K., Noble, D. G., ... & Roy, H. E. (2026). Assessing the success of a horizon scanning approach in predicting invasive non‐native species arrival. Journal of Applied Ecology, 63(1), e70217. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.70217
Verdi, R., Faedo, L.F., Scherr, C., Wright, J., Rayns, F. and Boff, P. (2025) Bioassay of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings in response to dynamized high dilutions of Calcarea carbonica and Silicea terra. Int J High Dilution Res. 2025; 25(CF): 402-416. http://doi.org/10.51910/ijhdr.v25icf.1719
Kelley, D. et al. (inc. Eden, J.M.) (2025) State of Wildfires 2024-25, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 5377-5488. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-483
Gallo, C., Dieppois, D., Quilcaille, Y., Chiriacò, M.V., Drobyshev, I., Fulé, P.Z., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., Blackett, M. and Eden, J.M. (2025) Future impacts of climate change on global fire weather: Insight from weighted CMIP6 multi-model ensembles, J. Climate, 38, 6445–6462. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-24-0540.1
