'Voices of Motherhood' explores the ways in which women have been politicised by their experiences of (in)fertility, pregnancy, birth and caring for children through infancy and early childhood since 1914 in the United Kingdom. It asks how a 'maternal activism' has developed, changed and evolved across the period, and to what extent this was shaped by continuity and change in the legal, societal, cultural and economic position of women. It will explore the ways motherhood legitimised and facilitated women's claims to authority and power, and how at different times motherhood has constricted and constrained women's ability to engage in politics and public life. The project offers the first survey of motherhood as a political identity in modern Britain, and has scope to reshape our understanding of the history of women's activism in local, national and transnational forms, from 1914 to the present, using archival sources and newly-collected oral histories. The 'Voices of Motherhood' project focuses on three main themes: fertility and pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period, and early childhood. Case studies of specific campaigns or movements related to these themes will be explored. These will include studies of the politics of IVF; activism around campaigns for pain relief or the right for 'choice' in childbirth; and the role of mothers in wider movements, such as in environmental groups like Extinction Rebellion or Kidical Mass. The project will look at the impact individuals and organisations have had on the politics of maternity from 1914 to the present day, beginning with the work of the Women's Co-operative Guild, which published a moving collection of writing from working-class women on their experiences of motherhood as 'Maternity: Letters from Working Women' in 1915, to the ongoing campaigns of Pregnant Then Screwed, founded on International Women's Day in 2015. It will pay particular attention to the impact of race and social class on motherhood, as well as the experiences of single mothers, LGBT+ mothers, and mothers of children living with disabilities. As well as offering a new history of motherhood, which sits at the intersections of women's history, political history, the history of welfare and the history of emotions, the Fellowship will encompass a public engagement project, 'Birthing Stories', which will take place in collaboration with the George Marshall Medical Museum in Worcester. Experiences of giving birth in the city of Worcester will be collected as oral histories, and used to facilitate outreach and engagement sessions within the city, which will use history to help families feel part of a community, and stimulate conversations which might help new parents feel less alone, improving well-being.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Modern agriculture is expected to provide ever-increasing amounts of food and feed under uncertain climate scenarios and significant pressure from consumers and regulators for environmentally friendly solutions to combat abiotic and biotic stress associated yield losses. Biostimulants that can improve crop productivity in a sustainable way offer a plausible alternative to the heavily criticized synthetic agrochemicals. To achieve their full potential a science-based understanding of their beneficial effects and avenues for fine-tuning of their bioactivities are of utmost importance. The proposed project will bring together expertise in plant systems biology, chemical biology, as well as biostimulant preparation and characterization, to discover new and optimize existing biostimulants by tapping into innovative sources of natural compounds and integrative biology approaches for elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying stress priming. A global network of leading plant scientists in abiotic and biotic stress signaling from Europe, Africa, and South America, facilitated by an industrial partner specializing in biostimulants production and marketing, will channel their efforts to bring sustainable solutions for crop protection to the farmer. An extensive mobility program will facilitate optimal knowledge-sharing within the network, maximize the research outputs and ultimately lead to increasing the human capacity of the partners.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Migration has become a crucial strategy for survival, coping, and adaptation in regions where livelihood systems are compromised or where climate migrants seek better opportunities. Recent climate-induced migration waves have concentrated in climate-resilient urban centers, leading to hardships and unequal outcomes for resettled individuals and households. To achieve just and resilient outcomes, it is essential to engage proactively with stakeholders, including migrants and host communities, in preparing and planning for these movements. This research proposal aims to design and propose co-produced adaptation strategies that address socioeconomic vulnerabilities (SEVs) and enhance resilience for vulnerable climate migrants and host communities in five urban cities in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) and Great Lakes Region (GLR), namely Kampala, Mwanza, Eldoret, Detroit, and Hamilton. The project introduces two key dimensions of novelty. Firstly, it disrupts the conventional knowledge transfer paradigm by facilitating bidirectional knowledge exchange. It recognizes the value of successful practices from global South countries, making them accessible for replication in lower-income nations. Through shared experiences and targeted interventions, CLARS empowers stakeholders from the Great Lakes Region (GLR) and Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) to learn collaboratively. Secondly, CLARS contributes to a deeper understanding of the intersection between climate-induced migration and host communities. By incorporating diverse perspectives from migrants, host citizens, businesses, local governments, and other stakeholders, the project aims to enhance resilience and overall well-being for all involved. The project consists of the following integrated work packages: 1. Policy Effectiveness Assessment: Investigates the impact of international and national policy responses to climate change, aligning recommendations with the socioeconomic needs of climate migrants. 2. Urban Climate Data Sharing: Produces and disseminates climate predictive data and scenarios specific to urban areas in LVB and GLR, evaluating risks, socioeconomic protective factors, and quantifying climate impacts related to urban migration flows. 3. Inclusive Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategies: Engages in co-developing strategies that target the SEVs faced by climate migrants in LVB and GLR. These strategies aim to address the challenges posed by climate-induced movements and enhance the well-being and resilience of migrants and host communities. 4. Knowledge Exchange and Co-Production: Stimulates knowledge exchange and collaborative learning, encouraging the sharing of climate adaptation and resilience strategies and policies among stakeholders. By advancing co-production, the project facilitates mutual learning and improves the SEVs of migrants and host citizens in urban settings. CLARS brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers, practitioners, and local networks, employing mixed-method and interdisciplinary approaches. The collaborative efforts of participants from both lakes-regions generate locally co-produced knowledge and data, facilitating knowledge exchange and the formulation of climate adaptation and resilience policies. These policies aim to mitigate the socioeconomic vulnerabilities faced by migrants and host citizens, benefiting national governments, cities, and multilateral organizations. The outputs of the project extend beyond the case lakes regions, the UK, and Germany, benefiting communities worldwide. These outputs include scholarly research papers, articles, and academic publications disseminating findings and insights, comprehensive databases related to climate migration, SEVs, and resilience strategies, concise policy briefs providing actionable recommendations for policymakers, and capacity-building workshops and training programs for researchers in LVB, GLR, the UK, Germany, and beyond.