Message forwarded on behalf of Martin Entz:

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From: Martin Entz <M.Entz@umanitoba.ca>
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2023 9:46 AM
To: Ekta Badesha <Ekta.Badesha@umanitoba.ca>
Subject: Fw: PERENNIAL: Three fully funded PhD positions Lund University

Please circulate to all Soil and Plant Sci grad students

thanks,

Martin

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From: Jonas Ardö <jonas.ardo@nateko.lu.se>
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2023 9:26 AM
To: jonas.ardo@nateko.lu.se <jonas.ardo@nateko.lu.se>
Subject: PERENNIAL: Three fully funded PhD positions Lund University

Caution: This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba.

Dear Colleagues,

Please help us to spread the word about these three PhD positions at Lund University. The four-year positions are fully funded by the ERC Advanced Grant PERENNIAL.

PERENNIAL is a cross disciplinary project aiming to investigate the climate mitigation potential when transforming agriculture from being based on annual crops to be based on newly domesticated perennial crops. Related to this topic we now have three PhD positions focusing on:

1. Measurements of greenhouse gases of perennial grain agriculture (Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science)
https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:678707/

2. Modelling of carbon fluxes and carbon sequestration in perennial grain agriculture (Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science)
https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:678977/

3. Farmers' adoption of newly domesticated perennial grain crops (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:678881/


We appreciate if you can spread this information to tentative candidates and suitable forums.


Sorry for cross postings.
Lennart Olsson, Jonas Ardö, Elina Andersson and PERENNIAL co-workers, Lund University, Sweden



PERENNIAL is funded by the European Research Council (ERC Advanced Grant 2023). In this project we will investigate whether a shift from annual to perennial grain crops as the basis for food production is possible, and identify the major opportunities and obstacles for such a “perennial revolution”. Since the Neolithic Revolution the world food system has been dominated by annual crops (cereals, legumes, and oil seeds) covering 70% of global croplands. The use of annual plants disrupts agro-ecological processes every season, resulting in soil erosion, nutrient losses, and greenhouse gas emissions from machinery and soils. The costly practices of managing annuals, including a strong dependence on herbicides and mineral fertilizers, partly explain the high indebtedness and low returns in agriculture. A shift from annual to perennial grains that are planted once and harvested for many consecutive years, could revolutionize agriculture and revitalize rural society. It could solve problems associated with annuals and increase the potential for adaptation to climate change. Advances in plant breeding have shown that a shift to perennials is possible within a few decades, but it would challenge powerful vested interests. To investigate the prospects of a perennial revolution, we will: a) conduct a systematic critique of the current political economy of agriculture, b) suggest desirable, viable, and achievable perennial alternatives to annual monocultures, and c) develop a strategy for change. We complement social science expertise with that of plant breeding, agro-ecology, soil, and plant science. Social Fields Theory is applied to study the political economy of agriculture including the politics of seeds and agrochemicals and Soil Health theory to suggest alternatives. We then incorporate ecological feedbacks to develop an Agricultural Treadmill Theory and apply Transition Theory to study social change. Using mixed methods, we will conduct discourse analysis, network analysis, and modelling at multiple scales including farms, river basins, and jurisdictions.

-- 
Jonas Ardö
Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
Lund University
Sölvegatan 12 22362 Lund Sweden
+46462224031