PhD Studentship – Turning up the heat on soil carbon: Quantifying carbon dynamics and climate resilience of agave production in Mexico

Supervisor: Hannah Cooper

Topic Space: Sustainable Agriculture

Analysis Title: Turning up the warmth on soil carbon: Quantifying carbon dynamics and local weather resilience of agave manufacturing in Mexico

Analysis Description

“Local weather change is among the most vital challenges dealing with the world right now, and agriculture is each a contributor to and a casualty of local weather change. The impression of agriculture on the surroundings has been more and more scrutinised, as it’s liable for 13% of world greenhouse gasoline emissions. Nevertheless, regenerative farming gives a promising answer to cut back the impression of agriculture on local weather change and enhance the resilience of farming programs to local weather change impacts. Our latest work has demonstrated substantial advantages for adopting regenerative practices by way of long-term local weather resilience. Nevertheless, the advantages and trade-offs from such transitions are poorly quantified, and there stays little understanding of how such modifications can contribute to the decarbonisation and elevated sustainability of provide chains.

Agave is a crucial crop that underpins the tequila provide chain. Agricultural manufacturing can have substantial hostile environmental impacts, together with soil degradation, challenges with water availability and vital greenhouse gasoline emissions. Regenerative agriculture describes a variety of extra sustainable farming practices and is of rising curiosity throughout the agriculture sector attributable to its potential to deliver a number of advantages via carbon sequestration and storage in soils, advantages to biodiversity, and elevated local weather resilience. Regenerative practices have vital potential in agave manufacturing, however advantages are poorly quantified, notably by way of impacts on yield and carbon storage, and little is thought about how these will impression provide chains or smallholder farmer livelihoods. This mission addresses this problem.

The goal of the studentship is to generate new proof regarding the potential carbon sequestration arising from adopting regenerative practices below present and future climates. This mission will subsequently finally assist the transition to extra sustainable provide chains and assist the elevated local weather resilience of agave manufacturing. “

Award Begin Date: 01/10/2024

Length of Award: 48 months

Phrases and Situations

Funding consists of a stipend paid at UKRI charges (presently £18,622 pa), tuition charges, and as much as £4000 pa to cowl analysis prices (e.g., journey for fieldwork and gear). Owing to funding constraints for tuition charges, this chance is barely out there to UK college students.

Applicant Qualification Necessities

Candidates ought to have an curiosity in environmental or agricultural science, geography or an equal topic. They need to maintain, or be anticipated to acquire, a minimal of a UK Honours diploma at 2:1 or equal in a bodily or environmental science topic. Candidates with a further qualification (i.e. Masters) can be regarded on favourably. Expertise of fieldwork and/or modelling can be fascinating.

How you can Apply

Cowl letter explaining why you are feeling you’re a appropriate candidate (most 1 web page), alongside a curriculum vitae must be emailed to [email protected]