From top-down to bottom-up – enabling a new collaborative approach to agricultural abstraction management to protect river ecosystems

Agriculture is an important user of water in many catchments in England, particularly in the East.  Water is abstracted from rivers and aquifers to support the production of high-value fruit and vegetables.  There is also expected to be an increasing demand in some catchments for agricultural water supplies to support the re-wetting of peat soils to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to Net Zero.

However, there is rising competition and tension for water resources between agriculture, public water supply, energy generation and the environment. A changing climate change with increased drought risks and more frequent low river flows will exacerbate the current situation.  Ongoing regulatory reforms linked to water resources and abstraction management to meet environmental targets for our river systems will inevitably have profound impacts on the availability of water for agriculture.

All significant water abstractions require an abstraction licence which imposes limits and constraints on the amount of water that can be abstracted.  However, the current approach to sustainably licenced (or permitted) water in England is inefficient, with some farms running out of licenced water during dry years whilst neighbours have spare water.  With increasing demands for water for irrigation and peat re-wetting, there is an urgent need to support collaboration between abstractors to make more efficient use of their licenced water and to support increased investment in on-farm reservoirs to provide drought resilience.

This PhD will integrate environmental science, ecology, engineering and philosophy to explore the legal frameworks, farmer and regulator perspectives, water resource needs and evidence that would enable collaborative approaches to agricultural water management.  In doing so, engagement is likely with a range of organisations, such as the Environment Agency, Natural England, National Farmers Union, Internal Drainage Boards and farmers. The PhD may involve literature review, document analysis, qualitative data collection and analysis (e.g. interviews); quantitative spatial data analysis and modelling.

This fully funded studentship is part of the Connected Waters Leverhulme Doctoral Programme, which is funding up to 18 PhD studentships to conduct multidisciplinary research on freshwater ecosystems, across two universities, Cranfield and Roehampton. The programme aims to develop a deeper, holistic understanding of the interactions between humans and the environment to support sustainable solutions to the environmental challenges affecting our river, lake, wetland, and groundwater ecosystems. To find more information on the programme and other research topics, please see the official CONNECT website . 

At a glance

• Application deadline01 May 2024
• Award type(s)PhD
• Start date01 Oct 2024
• Duration of award4 years
• EligibilityUK, EU, Rest of world
• Reference numberSWEE0246

Entry requirements
Applicants should have a first or second class UK honours degree, BSc or equivalent in environmental sciences or physical geography knowledge of water resources and agricultural water management
Funding

This Leverhulme doctoral programme will recruit scholars in three cohort over three successive years. In total the award will fund up to 18 full time PhD Scholarships, including three scholarships for international applicants, 12 home (UK) PhD scholarships, and three Master's plus PhD scholarships. Of these, 6 home, 2 international and 1 Master's plus PhD scholarship will be based at the Cranfield University.

Each PhD scholarship award will include fees and stipend costs for scholars for up to 4 years paid at UKRI's standard domestic rate, with an additional grant of £10,000 to each student for research expenses.

For Master's plus PhD scholarships there is funding (fees and stipend) for an additional 1 year Master's programme before the PhD programme commences

Eligibility requirements:

For Doctoral Scholarships:

Scholars must be registered as full-time PhD students or provide a minimum time commitment of 50%, if part time students, unless the Trust gives explicit permission for this to be varied. Scholars will be subject to the terms and conditions applying to doctoral students within the host institution where they are registered.

For Master's Plus Scholarships:
To be eligible for the Master’s plus PhD Scholarships, candidates must fulfil the following criteria as specified by the Leverhulme Trust:

    Be a UK domiciled student
Not already have a Master’s degree from the host institution
Be from a low-income household background as evidenced by being in receipt of a full maintenance loan or Special Support loan during their undergraduate studies

and/or identify as one of the following categories of ethnicity:

    Black African
Black Caribbean
Black Other
Mixed – White and Black Caribbean
Mixed – White and Black African
Other mixed background (including Black African, Black Caribbean and Black Other)

Cranfield Doctoral Network

Research students at Cranfield benefit from being part of a dynamic, focused and professional study environment and all become valued members of the Cranfield Doctoral Network.  This network brings together both research students and staff, providing a platform for our researchers to share ideas and collaborate in a multi-disciplinary environment. It aims to encourage an effective and vibrant research culture, founded upon the diversity of activities and knowledge. A tailored programme of seminars and events, alongside our Doctoral Researchers Core Development programme (transferable skills training), provide those studying a research degree with a wealth of social and networking opportunities.

How to apply

For informal enquiries please contact: Dr Robert Grabowski
Email: [email protected]

For further information contact us today:
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