Agriculture sciences

20% of bee colonies in Germany did not survive the winter – a high toll: the average loss per winter is about 10%. Since the turn of the millennia there have been several waves of widespread bee death with detrimental consequences for the agricultural industry. However, the reasons behind these disappearances are not entirely resolved yet. Nonetheless, it seems very likely that global climate change, as well as the use of pesticides, especially neonicotinoids, play an important role regarding these disappearances.

The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) is a non-profit organisation based in Brussels. It represents the private sector in a public-private partnership (PPP) with the EU on Bio-based Industries (BBI). €3.7 billion will be injected into the European economy between 2014 and 2024 - €975 million from the European Commission and €2.7 billion from the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) - to develop an emerging bioeconomy sector.

A plethora of factors is involved in the maintenance of functioning ecosystems. The smallest change in numbers between predators and prey can upset the balance of the entire system. However, even leading researchers in the field of natural resource management cannot predict how natural ecosystems will develop in response to management measures that dynamically interact with natural factors. Therefore the researchers conducted complex and extended field experiments in order to provide insight and answers for a future adaptive environmental management.

Biodiesel is largely produced from rapeseeds in Europe. The fuel consists of long-chain hydrocarbon compounds. Due to a higher boiling point compared to mineral oil-based fuel, the biodiesel cannot be used undiluted in conventional engines. Biodiesel is nonetheless very important for industries, since it has a lower impact on global warming than conventional fuel. In accordance with an EU directive to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, biofuel has to be added to conventional fuel.

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) is a fairly young but also diverse crop that is farmed across Europe. The cultivation of sugar beet was the starting point for the industrial sugar production. Today, approximately one third of the global sugar consumption originates from sugar beet, which generates a yearly revenue of about €25 billion. However, in recent years the plant  the beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV)  - causing rhizomania  - has endangered the sugar beet yield more and more.

At the end of May roughly 300 representatives of governments, as well as scientific and civil society organisations met in Berlin for the Fourth Global Soil Week (GSW), to assess some of the gaps and synergies regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) implementation, and the relevance of soil protection in this context.

Whether it’s chive, parsley, or dill – herbs are an integral part of every kitchen. They can be cultivated in a garden or bought directly at the grocery store. Cultivating them at home, however, is no easy task and more often than not does not bring the envisioned results. To avoid these disappointments, startup Agrilution has developed a new solution: “Plantcube”, a smart greenhouse for the kitchen.

Due to the ever-increasing world population, many have focussed on an effective food industry over the recent years. But climate change also affects and endangers farmland, creating an even bigger need for an effective and sustainable agriculture. The pharma company Bayer has been investing in sustainable agriculture towards securing enough food for everyone for some time now.

The use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in agriculture is still under intense debate, and national differences of opinion have hindered a pan-European solution thus far. Still, while the global cultivation area of GMOs increased by only 3% from 2015 to 2016 (179.7 million hectares versus 185.1 million hectares), across the EU the area increased by 17% (from 116,870 to 136,363 hectares). Nonetheless, resistance against GMO products remained high in Europe.