Development of new environmental assessment techniques

There is always potential to improve how we assess the effects and impacts that arise from agricultural practices and land use. As our knowledge and technology has grown, so has our capability to assess environmental effects and impacts. Over two decades AERU have developed and pioneered numerous novel techniques to enhance environmental assessments in the agricultural and land use sector, both at the farm and policy levels.

Skills and services encompass the following:

Development of indicators and metrics
Development of aggregation and synthesise techniques
Development of tools and techniques to aid communication and knowledge transfer

Projects

2020-2025: FRAMEwork: Farmers clusters for realising agrobiodiversity management across ecosystems
2014-2019: Ecosystem services calculator
2012-2013: OSCAR - Optimal Strategies for Climate change Action in Rural areas
2010-2011: Effective approaches to environmental labelling of food products
2009-2010: The climate change mitigation potential of an EU farm: towards a farm-based integrated assessment
2006-2010: Functional Tools for Pesticide Risk Assessment & Management in Europe (FOOTPRINT)
2007-2009: Assessment of reduction in environmental burdens through targeted measures compared with whole farm approaches in cropping and livestock systems
2002-2003: Priorities for the environmental protection of soil
2000-2002: Application of the national sustainable agriculture indicators to farm level
1998-2021: Development of pesticide load indicators
1994-2017: Environmental Management for Agriculture

Publications

Lewis, K., Rainford, J., Tzilivakis, J., & Garthwaite, D. (2021). Application of the Danish Pesticide Load Indicator to UK arable agriculture. J Environ Qual.: 1-13. DOI.
Rainford, J., Garthwaite, D., Jones, G., Tzilivakis, J. and Lewis, K.A. (2020) Developing a UK Pesticide Load Indicator. Final report for a scoping project undertaken for Defra by FERA Science Limited and the Agriculture & Environment Research Unit at the University of Hertfordshire.
Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D.J. & Holland, J.M. (2019). Developing practical techniques for quantitative assessment of ecosystem services on farmland. Ecological Indicators, 106: 105514. DOI
Green, A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. & Lewis, K. (2017). Problems of Benchmarking Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Dairy Agriculture. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 24(6): 1470-1489. DOI
Tzilivakis, J. and Warner, D. (2017). Adapting the EFA Calculator software to integrate the outputs from the QuESSA project. Report for EU 7th Framework Programme Project No 311879.
Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D.J., Green, A., Lewis, K.A. & Angileri, V. (2016). An indicator framework to help maximise potential benefits for ecosystem services and biodiversity from ecological focus areas. Ecological Indicators, 69: 859-872. DOI
Tzilivakis, J., Green, A., Lewis, K.A. & Warner, D.J (2014). Identifying integrated options for agricultural climate change mitigation. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 6(2): 192-211. DOI
Green, A., Warner, D.J., Tzilivakis, J., & Lewis, K.A. (2014). A Comparison of Carbon Accounting Tools and an Evaluation of Their Potential for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation. In: M. Hassouna & N. Guingand (Eds.), Emission of Gas and Dust from Livestock. (pp. 237-240). RMT Élevage et Environnement, Le Rheu, France.
Lewis, K.A. & Tzilivakis, J. (2013). The Waitrose Pesticide Load Indicator. Waitrose Annual Technical Conference for the Fresh Produce Supply base, 13 November 2013.
Tzilivakis, J., Lewis, K., Green, A., Warner, D., Fialkiewicz, W., Olearczyk, D., Bordet, C. & Langevin, B. (2013). Optimal Design of Climate Change Policies Through the EU's Rural Development Policy: Final Report to the European Commission. European Commission, Brussels.
Lewis, K.A., Green, A., Warner, D.J. & Tzilivakis, J. (2012). Carbon accounting tools: are they fit for purpose in the context of arable cropping. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 11(2): 159-175. DOI
Tzilivakis, J., Green, A., Warner, D.J., McGeever, K. & Lewis, K.A. (2012). A framework for practical and effective eco-labelling of food products. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 3(1): 50-73. DOI
Tzilivakis, J. (2011). The climate change mitigation potential of an EU farm: towards a farm-based integrated assessment. European Commission meeting of agri-environment correspondents, Brussels, Belgium, 18 March 2011.
Tzilivakis, J., Lewis, K.A., Green, A. & Warner, D.J. (2011). A Novel Technique for Identifying Environmental Outcomes from Agricultural Practices. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 29(1): 2-10. DOI
Tzilivakis, J., Lewis, K.A., Green, A., Warner, D.J., MacMillan, T & McGeevor, K. (2011). Effective approaches to environmental labelling of food products. Final Report for Defra Project FO0419. January 2011.
Tzilivakis, J., Lewis, K.A., Green, A. & Warner, D.J. (2010). The Climate Change Mitigation Potential of an EU Farm: Towards a Farm-Based Integrated Assessment: Final Report for EC Project ENV.B.1/ETU/2009/0052. European Commission, Brussels.
Warner, D.J., Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J. & Green, A. (2010). Integrated Management Options for Agricultural Climate Change Mitigation (IMPACCT). Proceedings of ‘The Dundee Conference Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2010’, University of Dundee, 23 – 24 February 2010.
Dubus, I., Azimonti, G., Bach, M., Barriuso, E., Bidoglio, G., Bouraoui, F., Centofanti, T., Coquet, Y., Feisel, B., Fialkiewicz, W., Fowler, H., Galimberti, F., Grizzetti, B., Højberg, A., Hollis, J., Jarvis, N., Kajewski, I., Kjær, J., Krasnicki, S., Lewis, K., Lobnik, F., Lolos, P., Moeys, J., Nolan, T., Rasmussen, P., Réal, B., Reichenberger, S., Šinkovec, M., Stenemo, F., Suhadolic, M., Surdyk, N., Tzilivakis, J., Vaudour, T., Avoulidou-Theodorou, E., Windhorst, E. & Wurm, D. (2009). The FOOTPRINT Software Tools: Pesticide Risk Assessment and Management in the EU at different spatial scales. Presented at CEMEPE & SECOTOX June 2009, Mykonos, Greece.
Tzilivakis, J., Lewis, K.A., Green, A. & Warner, D.J. (2009) Assessment of Reduction in Environmental Burdens Through Targeted Measures Compared with Whole Farm Approaches in Cropping and Livestock Systems: Final Report for Defra Project IF0131. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Tzilivakis, J., Green, A. & Lewis, K.A. (2009). The FOOT-FS software system: An overview. Presented at the FOOTPRINT Final Conference, Giessen, Germany, 18-19 March 2009.
Körner, O., Warner, D., Tzilivakis, J., Eveleens, B. and Heuvelink, E. (2008). Decision Support for Optimising Energy Consumption in European Greenhouses. Acta Hort. (ISHS), 801: 803-810.
Tzilivakis, J. & Lewis, K.A. (2007). The Beta version of FOOT-FS. Report DL26 of the FP6 EU-funded FOOTPRINT project, 28p.
Warner, D.J., Tzilivakis, J., Korner, O., Eveleens, B., Heuvelink, E. and Lewis, K.A. (2008) GREENERGY - Energy optimisation in European greenhouses: D16: Core SME greenhouse growers final energy consumption data. European Commission, Brussels.
Warner, D.J., Tzilivakis, J., Korner, O., Eveleens, B., Heuvelink, E. and Lewis, K.A. (2008) GREENERGY - Energy optimisation in European greenhouses: D6/D7/D8: Reference Greenhouse, Core Calculation Module and Graphical User Interface for the Energy Auditing Tool (EAT). Final Version. European Commission, Brussels.
Warner, D.J., Tzilivakis, J., Korner, O., Eveleens, B., Heuvelink, E. and Lewis, K.A. (2008) GREENERGY - Energy optimisation in European greenhouses: D9: Delivery of the Energy Auditing Tool (EAT). European Commission, Brussels.
Green, A., Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J. Dubus, I.G. & Coles, A. (2007). FOOTPRINT - Creating tools for Pesticide Risk Assessment and Management in Europe. Poster presented at Voluntary Initiative Meeting, SCI York.
van der Werf, H.M.G., Tzilivakis, J., Lewis, K.A. & Basset-Mens, C. (2007). Environmental impacts of farm scenarios according to five assessment methods. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 118, 327-338.
Dubus, I., Azimonti, G., Bach, M., Barriuso, E., Bidoglio, G., Bouraoui, F., Fialkiewicz, W., Fowler, H., François, O., Højberg, A., Hollis, J., Jarvis, N., Kajewski, I., Kjær, J., Lewis, K., Lobnik, F., Lolos, P., Réal, B., Reichenberger, S., Stenemo, F., Suhadolc, M. & Vavoulidou-Theodorou. E. (2006). Developing functional tools for pesticide risk assessment and management at various scales in Europe: the EU project FOOTPRINT. SCI Conference. Pesticide Behaviour in Soils, Water and Air. Warwick.
Tzilivakis, J., Lewis K.A. & Williamson, A.R. (2005). A prototype framework for assessing risks to soil functions. EIA Review 25, 181-195.
Tzilivakis, J. & Lewis, K.A. (2004). The development and use of farm level indicators in England. Sustainable Development 12, 107-120.
Brown, C.D., Hart, A., Lewis, K.A. & Dubus, I.G. (2003). p-EMA (I): simulating the environmental fate of pesticides for a farm-level risk assessment system. Agronomie 23, 67-74.
Hart, A., Brown, C.D., Lewis, K.A. & Tzilivakis, J. (2003). p-EMA (II): evaluating ecological risks of pesticides for a farm-level risk assessment system. Agronomie 23, 75-84.
Lewis, K.A., Brown, C.D., Hart, A. & Tzilivakis, J. (2003). p-EMA (III): overview and application of a software system designed to assess the environmental risk of agricultural pesticides. Agronomie 23, 85-96.
Tzilivakis, J., Lewis K.A., Green, A., Warner, D.J. and Calvert, A. (2002) Priorities for the Environmental Protection of Soil. R&D Project Record P5-055 for the Environment Agency.
Reus, J., Leendertse, P., Bockstaller, C., Fomsgaard, I., Gutsche, V., Lewis, K., Nilsson, C., Pussemier, L., Trevisan, M., Van der Werf, H., Alfarroba, F., Blümel, S., Isart, J., McGrath, D. & Seppälä, T. (2002). Comparison and evaluation of eight pesticide environmental risk indicators developed in Europe and recommendations for future use. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 90, 177–187.
Tzilivakis, J., Broom, C., Lewis, K.A., Tucker, P., Drummond, C. & Cook, R. (1999). A strategic environmental assessment method for agricultural policy in the UK. Land Use Policy 16, 223-234.
Lewis, K.A. & Bardon, K.S. (1998). A computer based informal environmental management system for agriculture. Journal of Environmental Modelling and Software 13, 123-127.
Lewis, K.A. Newbold, M.J. & Broom, C.E. (1997). An eco-rating system for optimising pesticide use at farm level: Part 2 evaluation, examples and piloting. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 68, 281-289.
Lewis, K.A., Newbold, M.J., Hall, A.M. & Broom, C.E. (1997). An eco-rating system for optimising pesticide use at farm level: Part 1 theory and development. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 68, 275-280.
Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Skinner, J.A., Finch, J., Kaho, T., Newbold, M.J. & Bardon, K.S. (1997). Scoring and ranking farmland conservation activities to evaluate environmental performance and encourage sustainable farming. Sustainable Development 5(2), 71-78.
Tucker, P., Lewis, K.A. & Skinner, J.A. (1995). Environmental Management in Agriculture: An Expert System Approach. Eco-Management and Auditing Journal 3(1), 9-13.