Agriculture sciences

The black soldier fly has long been identified as a valuable building block of a bio-based circular economy: it can use a wide variety of residual and waste materials as feed, its larvae gain weight quickly and contain high-quality proteins. As a feed additive and soy substitute, they are therefore already approved in pig and chicken farming. Other applications - including for food - are under development.

Heat, drought, storms and pests have taken their toll on the forest in recent years. Spruces, pines and Douglas firs in particular are suffering massively from the ongoing drought. Reforestation is therefore a key task to make the ecosystem fit for the future. Mediterranean plants could be an alternative that will soon populate native forests, as researchers from the Bavarian Office of Forest Genetics (AWG) and the Forest Research Institute Baden-Württemberg (FVA) have shown.

At the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), experts and interested parties come together at the beginning of the year to discuss key future issues of global agricultural and food policy. Due to the pandemic, the 14th edition of the World Food Conference will take place online from January 24 to 28.

Microplastics are not only found in oceans and inland waters, but also in aquacultures. Consequently, they enter the food chain via fish. One of the reasons for this are so-called growth bodies, which are used in closed pond systems for water treatment. The problem: these filters are made of petroleum-based plastics. Researchers at Hof University of Applied Sciences have come up with an alternative for aquaponics, the joint cultivation of fish and vegetables.

Many people associate Katjes primarily with fruit gums and licorice. But the confectionery company from Emmerich am Rhein has also been one of the pioneers of vegan confectionery for years. The company has long dispensed with animal gelatin in the manufacture of its products. As early as 2016, it converted its entire Katjes range in Germany to vegetarian products. With Katjes Greenfood, the confectionery manufacturer has also established a platform to further promote plant-based foods.

Around one third of Germany's agricultural land is used for meadows and pastures. In its natural state, grassland is one of the world's most species-rich ecosystems and, according to experts, can even compete with the species richness of rainforests. Meadows and pastures are not only an important source of food for insects, they are also resistant to storms and can store carbon in the soil for a long time.

In view of a growing population and dwindling resources as a result of climate change, alternative protein sources are becoming increasingly important. A wide range is available: legumes, algae, fungi and insects, as well as proteins obtained by cell-based or fermentative processes, are suitable as a source of raw materials for a healthy, environmentally conscious and sustainable diet.

It comes in red, pink, creamy white - and now also in cinnamon, bright lemon yellow and even bicolor: the poinsettia. Originally from Central America, the tropical plant with the Latin name Euphorbia pulcherrima is the second most popular ornamental plant in this country after the orchid. And despite a wide range of colors - the red poinsettia is still considered the favorite.