Current Research Projects

LaNdwirtschaft 4.0 Ohne chemisch-synthetischen PflanzenSchutz (NOcsPS)

A sufficient and high-quality food and biomass supply that is produced in an even more environmentally and nature-friendly manner is a strong socio-political concern. The use of synthetic chemical pesticides (csPSM) is coming under increasing criticism due to residues in food and nature as well as threats to biodiversity. Thus, an Agriculture 4.0 is developed, which follows biological principles using state-of-the-art, networked technologies, while rejecting pesticides. At the same time, the use of mineral fertilizers is made possible to ensure soil fertility in order produce the required amount of biomass yields. This approach represents a complete reorientation in arable farming and requires careful accompanying research from all angles and at all scales. The aim of the research network of the University of Hohenheim (UHOH) and Georg-August-University Göttingen (UGOE) as well as the Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI) is the development and analysis as well as the description of NOcsPS cropping systems in comparison to other cropping systems. This comparison is carried out in system, exact and on-farm trials at plot, field, farm and landscape level as well as from an ecological, economic and social perspective. The Institute of Farm Management contributes as consortium partner 17. The main objective is to assess how the abandonment of chemical pesticides affects the cropping systems of rationally acting farms. To this end, suitable mathematical programming models will be developed and to generate realistic variances also stochastic risk analyses are to be carried out.

Link to the NOcsPS Project Homepage

Rural Urban Nutrient Partnership (RUN) - Nährstoffgemeinschaften für eine zukunftsfähige Landwirtschaft

The project examines the possibilities of closing nutrient and recycling cycles between regional urban and landscape areas and makes a valuable contribution to increasing the resilience and resource efficiency of agricultural systems. The project is coordinated by the Institute for Urban Water Management, Water Quality and Waste Management (ISWA) and carried out by an inter- and transdisciplinary consortium of agricultural and engineering scientists, sociologists, systems analysts, urban and landscape planners, engineers and municipal institutions.

Press Announcement University of Stuttgart

Link to the RUN Projekt Homepage

Social and Economic Analysis of the Organic Sector in Bhutan

Social and economic analysis of dependencies within organic sectors in developing countries has not received much attention within the scientific literature. This PhD project intends to provide a description of the organic sector at the micro, meso and macro level in Bhutan. Specifically, it will explore the role of dependencies in the development of organic agriculture. At the macro level, it will show the connections between various stakeholders and barriers to understand the key players and binding barriers in the system. At the meso level, it will investigate the collaboration between extension agents as the primary contact at the field level with farmers to implement organic principles and policies. At the micro level, it will look at community labor exchange dynamics to understand how organic operators substitute labor for agrochemicals. It also looks at the network effects of transport use on production and marketing of organic products. Using Social Network Analysis as a framework, policy recommendations for the Royal Government of Bhutan and other relevant actors in organic farming will be derived by the envisaged PhD research. Generally, the research will contribute to the social and economic understanding of organic sectors by highlighting the role of dependencies in the system.

Contact M.Sc. Tshotsho Tshotsho

Potenziale landwirtschaftlicher Reststoffe für die Bioökonomie in Baden-Württemberg (ReBioBW)

Durch die Substitution fossiler mit nachwachsenden Ressourcen unterstützt die Bioökonomie in Baden-Württemberg eine klimaneutrale Wirtschaftsweise. Um Zielkonflikte mit Ernährungssicherheit zu vermeiden, stehen landwirtschaftliche Reststoffe im Fokus. Eine vermehrte Reststoffnutzung kann jedoch Zielkonflikte mit bestehender Nutzung oder dem Klimaschutz hervorrufen, wenn Humusaufbau und Kohlenstoffspeicherung im Boden gefährdet sind. Gleichzeitig bietet die Nutzung der Reststoffe Chancen für neue regionale Wertschöpfungsketten im ländlichen Raum. Die Realisierung dieser Chancen und Vermeidung von Zielkonflikten bedarf daher einer ganzheitlichen Evaluierung der Reststoffpotenziale.
Ziel des Projekts ReBioBW ist es, die gegenwärtigen und zukünftigen Potenziale von Reststoffen aus der Landwirtschaft und der Landschaftspflege für die Bioökonomie in Baden-Württemberg zu erfassen. Mittels statistischer Daten werden das theoretische Potenzial als absolutes Aufkommen der Reststoffe und abzüglich der Mengen für den Humusaufbau das nachhaltige Potenzial berechnet. Eine repräsentative Umfrage unter Landwirt*innen soll Aufschluss über die gegenwärtige Verwendung der Reststoffe geben, um das ökonomisch verfügbare Potenzial zu bestimmen. Qualitative Umfragen unter Unternehmen und Landwirt*innen zeigen Hürden und Rahmenbedingungen zur Berechnung des praktischen Potenzials auf. Durch Entwicklung eines regionalen Bioökonomiesektormodells und der Kopplung mit einem landwirtschaftlichen Betriebsmodell werden die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse genutzt, um ökologische und ökonomische Effekte der Reststoffnutzung und zukünftige Reststoffpotenziale vor dem Hintergrund wirtschaftlicher, gesellschaftlicher und politischer Treiber abzuschätzen. Die Erhebungen werden von einer Wissensvermittlung entlang der Wertschöpfungskette landwirtschaftlicher Reststoffe begleitet, um Wissenslücken hinsichtlich der Beschaffenheit, des Bedarfs und des Angebots zu schließen und das praktische Potenzial zu steigern.

Link zur Projekt-Homepage

A system´s perspective on adoption barriers for the sustainable intensification of cattle husbandry in the Colombian Amazon

The sustainable intensification of cattle husbandry systems has become a core strategy of Colombia´s Government to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris agreement and to contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The potential of sustainable intensification to address challenges associated with extensive cattle husbandry systems, such as low productivity, deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and land degradations, has been widely researched and demonstrated, but adoption levels of improved production practices remain at a low level. Focusing on the Amazon region, this research aims at addressing these knowledge gaps by taking a system´s perspective to analyse adoption barriers. An initial exploratory study using the value chain approach was carried out to improve the understanding of the VC structure and dynamics and to facilitate the pre-selection of attributes and adoption-relevant variable for a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE). By means of the DCE, preferences and willingness to pay of cattle farmers in the Caquetá department will be estimated for individual components constituting alternative sustainable intensification technology packages. In addition, a Social Network Analysis will be carried out to improve the understanding of spatial differences in information exchange and technology adoption behavior of cattle farmers in Caquetá.

Contact: M.Sc. Anja Lienert