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The Thames as liquid history: Interactions between farmers and the river, 1866-1974

The Berkshire Record Office holds the archive of the Thames Conservancy spanning the years 1866 to 1974. This project will explore, summarise and analyse the records relating to river pollution incidents attributed to farming along the River Thames during this period.

Department: Sustainable Land Management

Supervised by: Prof. Simon Mortimer

The Placement Project

The impacts of intensive farming practices on water quality and the biodiversity associated with watercourses has been well documented in recent decades. However, environmental and societal problems associated with the impact of farming on watercourses are not a new phenomenon, and policies and institutions have been in place for centuries to control such impacts. The records held in the Thames Conservancy archive offer an exciting opportunity to study the interaction between farmers and regulators for a period of greater than 100 years, spanning the period of agricultural depression from the 1860s to the 1940s, and the post 1945 intensification of agricultural production. The project would involve analysis of data extracted from records in the Thames Conservancy Archive relating to interventions regarding pollution of the waterway by farming activities. The student will work within the Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, where recent projects have sought to develop indicators for the environmental performance of farms, including water quality issues (Mauchline et al. 2012), and examined the potential for monitoring of farmers’ compliance with regulations relating to protection of watercourses using remote sensing (https://www.recap-h2020.eu/). The project is novel and brings together researchers from different parts of the University (School of Agriculture, Policy & Development and the Museum of English Rural Life) and external partners (Berkshire Record Office). It is not part of a larger project but builds on a recent UoR/BRO Action Lab held in June 2019. The work will also have relevance to other University-wide initiatives such as the Loddon Observatory and Water@Reading.

Tasks

The project would involve examination of the material held in the Thames Conservancy Archive relating to interventions regarding pollution of the waterway by farming activities. An initial scoping of the type of information available would be carried out, followed by systematic sampling of records over the 108 year time frame. The data would be analysed to examine the types of pollution incident recorded and the interventions applied. In particular, temporal trends and spatial variation in these factors would be summarised graphically using GIS techniques. The following tasks are envisaged: • Familiarisation with archive material and design of sampling strategy (week 1) • Data gathering from archive material at Berkshire Record Office (weeks 2 to 4) • Data analysis and mapping of farm-related pollution events (week 5) • Writing of report and documentation of sampling protocols (week 6)

Skills, knowledge and experience required

Essential: An interest in the interaction between agricultural land use and water pollution Ability to read and interpret historic maps and use GIS. The student will need to be flexible, reliable and hardworking. Research work will involve accessing archival material held at the Berkshire Record Office (close to the town centre and accessible by bus). An understanding of the importance of the consistency in research method and an ability to accurately follow protocol are essential. It is also important that the student is able to manage their own time and work independently. Desirable: A basic knowledge of agricultural practices and environmental pollution would be beneficial.

Skills which will be developed during the placement

The student will develop skills in the use and interpretation of archival records for historical and cultural research, gain experience in collating, summarising and presenting data including the use of GIS to present spatial patterns. In addition, the student will gain a broad understanding of the planning of a systematic programme of archival research and as such project planning, data management and processing and basic statistical analysis will also form part of the remit. Finally, the student will develop skills in presenting research findings using a range of media for different audiences.

Place of Work

School of Agriculture, Policy & Development (typically Mondays and more frequently in weeks 5-6); Berkshire Record Office (typically Tuesdays-Fridays, weels 1-4). Other time may be spent at MERL.

Hours of Work

09.00-17.00

Approximate Start and End Dates (not fixed)

Monday 22 June 2020 - Friday 31 July 2020

How to Apply

The deadline to apply for this project is Monday 11th May at 5pm. Please submit a C.V. and covering letter to s.r.mortimer@reading.ac.uk. Applicants will be shortlisted by the supervisors after the closing date. Applicants should outline their experience of working with GIS and any other relevant experience.


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