Identifying strategies for saving plant protection products

How can agriculture secure food for a growing world population without putting further strain on the planet? With the Farm-to-Fork Strategy, the European Union 2020 has drawn up a plan for how the region can become climate-neutral by 2050. This strategy is part of the European Green Deal and includes measures and targets for the production and consumption of food within planetary boundaries, such as reducing the use of pesticides by 50% by 2030.

Studying climate impacts on plants with a high-tech platform

Weather extremes such as heat, drought and flooding are increasingly affecting plant growth and biodiversity in the soil, thus jeopardizing the supply of important food crops. But how can the extent of climate impacts on plant growth be measured? To make this clear, researchers and students at TH Köln and the University of Cologne (UzK) have established an experimental platform and developed software that can be used to immediately visualize the results of the experiments.

Traceless: First production facility in former industrial bakery

The construction of a demonstration plant is a decisive milestone for the bioeconomy start-up traceless materials on the way to the market launch of its innovative biomaterial. Last year, the team led by the two founders Johanna Baare and Anne Lamp received 36.6 million euros from investors and a further 5 million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry for the Environment.

EFI: Making greater use of the potential of new technologies in crop production

The EFI consists of six scientists who have special knowledge and experience in the field of innovation research and are internationally recognized in the scientific field. Once a year, they submit a report to the Federal Government on research, innovation and Germany's technological performance. In addition to recommendations for action for national research and innovation policy, the report focuses on several key topics.

Green Alliance (2024): A new land dividend

The countries analysed were Denmark, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Spain. More than half of the agricultural land in these countries is currently used for the production of meat and dairy products. Only 20% of agricultural land is used to grow crops that feed the population.

Sustainable production of synthesis gas from biogas

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fuel global warming and are major drivers of climate change. However, in order to achieve the Paris climate targets, emissions will need to be significantly reduced or, ideally, avoided. The use of carbon dioxide and methane as a raw material can make a significant contribution to this. This is where the Biogasohol project comes in. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) in Rostock want to convert the two gases from biogas into an important basic chemical, synthesis gas.

AMSilk and BRAIN Biotech: A smart protein design leads to a patent

Enriching the textile industry with bio-based solutions – this common strategic goal led to a collaboration between the world's first commercial supplier of biotech silk polymers from Martinsried, AMSilk, and the Zwingenberg-based biotechnology company BRAIN Biotech just over a year ago. The aim of the collaboration was to establish high-performance protein-based fibers for the textile industry.

New DFG commission: A holistic view of agricultural and food systems

Ensuring food security is the most important task of agriculture. However, the sector is already suffering from the consequences of climate change and is under pressure to secure food for a growing world population. At the same time, it is partly responsible for a large proportion of climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions and for the loss of biodiversity. A change in agricultural and food systems towards greater sustainability is the only way to master the challenges of the future.