A Blog of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
How to save one of the world’s most threatened amphibians, and why does it matter? A post by Verena Simon-Kutscher, Sidra Yousaf, Yanna Raykov and Paul Birkner The black olm (Proteus anguinus parkelj, Fig. 1) is one of the most endangered amphibians in the world. It is found in an area of less than 10 […]
A post by Artur Falcette, Adèle Garret, Robert Mäntler and Dominique Schwarz How Slovenian salt makers have been thriving for 700 years at protecting biodiversity Salt production in coastal regions, an activity that involves the transformation of natural coastal areas into salt flats, can generate significant environmental and social impacts. The conversion of ecosystems such […]
A post by Juliette Aymon, Liene Hennig, Marco Güntert and Manuela Jäggi The Ljubljana Marshes Nature Park is an area of significant agricultural and ecological importance and home of endangered species. New regulations that limit agricultural activities in that area have led to resistance from farmers. A lack of communication is one of the underlying […]
A post by Nina Trdan, Chiara Gasperini, Soraya Negri and Clara Körner Leaving the motorway and entering the city of Koper, you find yourself in the heart of an urban coastal area, with offices and shopping centres on one side and the port of Koper on the other. Looking around, it is hard to imagine […]
In einer Zeit, in der die globalen Herausforderungen der Ernährungssicherheit, Umweltverschmutzung und des Klimawandels immer drängender werden, eröffnet die multifunktionale Nutztierhaltung neue Perspektiven. Dieses Konzept positioniert Nutztiere nicht nur als Nahrungsmittellieferanten, sondern als integrale Bestandteile eines komplexen ökologischen Systems. Sie werden als Mitgeschöpfe in den Mittelpunkt gerückt und vom vermeintlichen Umweltsünder zu Schlüsselfiguren einer nachhaltigen Landwirtschaft – zum Wohle von Mensch, Tier und Umwelt.
Over thousands of years, Hungary’s soils have been shaped by different geological forces, resulting in a diverse range of soil types. However, man-made compaction, erosion, and the demands of intensive agriculture are endangering Hungary’s soil quality and its biodiversity. Join us, as we explore Hungary’s soil landscape and possible solutions for sustainable soil management.
In the countryside of Hungary there is a story of resilience, adaptation and transformation – the story of Csaba Szabó and his farm. His journey began in the turbulent times of the economic crisis starting in 2008, when Csaba and Anett Szabó decided to seek an alternative path. They made the bold decision to buy a small farm and embarked on a journey that changed the course of their lives.
The genetic resources of and within crop species and their wild relatives form the basis of our food production system. They allow varieties to evolve and adapt to changing conditions and are valuable for further breeding programs. However, the genetic diversity of plants is currently decreasing. Hence, it is important to preserve as much of our genetic heritage as possible. During our summer school on agrobiodiversity in Hungary, we had the opportunity to visit the country’s largest genebank, the National Centre for Biodiversity and Gene Conservation (NBGK) in Tápiószele.
Agriculture, with its major impact from livestock breeding, makes up 28% of the total environmental impacts (WWF, 2022). Switzerland, renowned for its production of milk products as a source of protein is making its first step towards a vegan protein alternative. Research has recognized the yet untapped potential of microalgae cultivation as a solution to substitute protein that currently still derives from animal products (Nikolov, Soto-Sierra, & Stoykova, 2018). It is astonishing that the potential of algae as a protein source has already been detected by the Aztecs (Rana, Soni, & Sudhakar, 2017), but only recently became a topic of interest again due to the high impact traditional farming has on climate change (McGinn, Tibbetts, & Wang, 2021).
Agroecology is deemed beneficial for both food security and food systems’ resilience to cli-mate change in Sub-Sahara Africa. However, a systemic transition towards agroecology is far from straightforward, as the case of Senegal reveals. What are the current challenges of the country’s agroecological movement and how can they be addressed? A national expert shares his insights.
