Nurturing Hungary’s Soils: Understanding Soils in the Carpatian Basin, its Challenges and Possible Solutions

Authors (in alphabetical order): Suman Lakshmanreddy, Melissa Näf-Doffey, Mónica Revuelta Albero, Sophia Wentkowski 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 […]

Why is it so important to freeze seeds for ages? Exploring Hungary’s Genetic Heritage

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.

From Pond to Plate: Why Microalgae will become Mainstream

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).

Senegal, a pioneer of the agroecological transition in Sub-Saharan Africa?

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.

Rosige Zukunft in der Bergregion – Fehlanzeige?!

Während zwei Youth Engagement Workshops haben Mitarbeitende der Forschungsgruppe Geography of Food im Rahmen des Projekts MOVING zwei Klassen der landwirtschaftlichen Schule in Landquart einen halben Tag lang begleitet und mit den Auszubildenden über ihre Zukunft sowie über die der Bergregion und -landwirtschaft gesprochen. Die jungen Erwachsenen sorgen sich darum, dass es dort bald keinen Platz mehr für sie gibt.

Bio-vegane Landwirtschaft – Was bedeutet diese alternative Form der Landwirtschaft?

ie vegane Ernährung liegt im Trend. Vegane Produkte sind längst nicht mehr eine Nische, wie das wachsende Sortiment im Detailhandel zeigt. Zudem ist ein zunehmendes Bewusstsein für gesunde Lebensmittel vorhanden, die tierfreundlich und umweltschonend produziert werden. Ein Ansatz ist der Biolandbau mit dem Fokus auf geschlossene Nährstoffkreisläufe. Dabei spielt die Tierhaltung eine wichtige Rolle, da sie tierische Dünger zur Verfügung stellt. Jedoch ist die Tierproduktion sehr ressourcenintensiv und wird aus tierethischer Perspektive hinterfragt. Bietet die bio-vegane Landwirtschaft, welche komplett auf tierische Produkte verzichtet, eine Alternative?