Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience - CAWR

Researchers at Coventry University need input from farmers and growers on how 'sustainability' is measured. If you can spare 15 minutes, you can help the WINN ORGANIC project which is working to increase access to organic food through novel technologies: https://bit.ly/4oyQ28x

Bastien Dieppois, Jonathan Eden, Amoluck Eluri, Tina Fallah, Ivan Kourtchev, Jishnu Pandamkulangara Kizhakkethil, Marco van de Wiel and Zarmina Zahoor travelled to Vienna, Austria for the European Geosciences Union General Assembly. CAWR’s representation at this annual gathering of more than 20,000 geoscientists continues to grow – this year, our researchers contributed 15 abstracts and were involved in the convenorship of three sessions.

CAWR's Ivan Kourtchev was awarded the Outstanding Editor Award at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) in Vienna by Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Copernicus).

Michelle Farrell was invited to be a guest on a recent episode of BBC Radio 4’s environmental programme Rare Earth. The episode was titled World of Flowers, and Michelle explained how pollen preserved in peat bogs can reveal the secrets of ancient crime scenes and help us to restore lost landscapes. The episode is available to listen to here:

BBC Radio 4 - Rare Earth, World of Flowers Tom Heap and Helen Czerski discover how flowers changed our planet.

Dr Bastien Dieppois, Liliane Binego and Marco Van De Wiel co-authored a new paper in Scientific African examining the ecosystem impacts of exotic tree species in Sao Hill, Tanzania. Focusing on the links between exotic forest plantations, water loss, groundwater recharge, and ecosystem services, the study reviews evidence showing that mature eucalyptus trees can substantially deplete groundwater resources. The paper highlights the need for sustainable forest-management strategies that balance economic benefits with water security, ecosystem health, and climate resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2026.e03404

Ulrich Schmutz, Liliane Binego and Judith Conroy participated in the launch of the second call of projects co-funded by the Agroecology Partnership. 19 projects totalling €30m were presented at a gathering, 11th – 13th May at the INRAE Nouvelle-Aquitaine centre in Bordeaux. The new projects utilise living labs and research infrastructures as a means of advancing agroecology across Europe and beyond. They include UNMEASURED, led by Nina Moeller of the University of Southern Denmark, formerly of Coventry University.
The event was a great opportunity to meet the project representatives and discuss our research and collaboration. Coventry University is active throughout the Agroecology Partnership, leading work to scale the Network of living labs and chairing the Partnership’s Internationalisation Working Group. There will be up to 7 further funding calls during the Partnership lifespan.

We are helping children in the city grow their own food and improve well-being by expanding a successful school allotment initiative.

Dr Jana Fried, Assistant Professor at the university’s Research Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience - CAWR, has co-led a UNESCO award-winning pilot project with Earlsdon Primary School and Grow Coventry CIC since 2023. Now, with grant funding from the Nature Towns and Cities programme - a partnership initiative between Natural England, the National Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, launched to enable millions more people to enjoy nature and green spaces close to home - Dr Fried’s project is set to expand the scheme to more schools across Coventry.

The initiative is part of Coventry City Council’s Green for All programme, with Dr Fried aiming to build a network that brings together schools, council departments, academics, civil society organisations and allotment groups to promote hands-on nature experiences for children.

Happening Tomorrow - SEMINAR: Landed Community Kitchens: grassroots infrastructures of care, repair and justice with Chiara Tornaghi
📆 Wednesday 10th June 2026
🕓 11 - 12.30 pm UK Time zone (GMT)
Click here to register: https://bit.ly/4dYxCtl

CAWR researchers are part of a collaboration to develop FLAG, the Floriculture Agroecological assessment, a framework to help UK cut flower growers move closer to the principles of agroecology.

In mid-May, Francis Rayns, Judith Conroy and Ulrich Schmutz joined a workshop with fellow Coventry University researcher David Bek, the University of Surrey’s Jill Timms and representatives of Flowers from the Farm and the Flower Grower Collective. The team examined how different growing practices align with agroecological principles such as input reduction, fairness and soil health. They also discussed how evaluations could take place, including the use of an on-site digital assessment tool developed by CAWR’s Donna Oldbury-Thomas.
This work stems from a Defra funded project involving the Flower Grower Collective and Coventry University, with ESRC-IAA funds now being utilised to optimise the real-world impact of the research.