An interdisciplinary research project co-managed by Humanities academics is to receive funding from the collective awards programme from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)
Inherited Soil Surveys, Transdisciplinary Approaches in Zambia (InSTAnZa) brings together biosciences, social sciences and humanities researchers from University of Nottingham (UoN), University of Zambia (UNZA) and University College London (UCL) investigating sustainable agriculture.
About the research project
If agriculture is to develop sustainably in a changing climate then decisions on policy and land management must be based on sound information about the soil, its composition, properties and status. Because the soil is variable this information is hard to obtain.
Many countries in the Global South, with challenging problems in agricultural development, have a legacy of soil surveys from the colonial and post-colonial periods. Could this information be used to address contemporary problems, for example, to identify the soils where conservation agriculture interventions might have the biggest impact?
More on InSTAnZa here
Research team
This project is a collaboration between the School of Biosciences (UoN), the School of Humanities (UoN), and the Faculty of Social Sciences (UoN), and the Institute of Advanced Studies at University College London (UCL) and the University of Zambia (UNZA). The project is led by Murray Lark, Professor of Environmetrics, with support from Anna Greenwood, Associate Professor in the Department of History and Alison Mohr, Associate Professor in the School of Sociology and Social Policy who are UoN co-investigators. Dr Maurice Hutton is working on the project as a Research Fellow in the Department of History. External co-investigators on the project are Dr Lydia Chabala, Dr Clarence Chongo, Dr Nawa Mwale and Mr Stalin Sichinga from the University of Zambia and Professor Megan Vaughan, Professor of African History and Health at UCL. Dr Ikabongo Mukumbuta and Nalumino Namwayi are Research Fellows on the project at the University of Zambia.
About UKRI
UK Research and Innovation works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish. We aim to maximise the contribution of each of our component parts, working individually and collectively. We work with our many partners to benefit everyone through knowledge, talent and ideas.
Operating across the whole of the UK with a combined budget of more than £8 billion, UK Research and Innovation brings together the seven research councils, Innovate UK and Research England.
ukri.org
About GCRF
Global Challenges Research Fund is a £1.5 billion fund supporting cutting-edge research and innovation that addresses the global issues faced by developing countries, and forms part of the UK Government’s ODA commitment.
It harnesses the strengths of the UK’s world-leading researchers enabling them to collaborate with experts in developing countries through equitable partnerships. GCRF focuses on funding challenge-led disciplinary and interdisciplinary research; strengthening capability for research, innovation and knowledge exchange; and providing an agile response to emergencies where there is an urgent research or on-the-ground need. The fund is managed by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and delivered through nine partners.
Posted on Friday 20th November 2020