Working group Agroecology

Research on agroecology evaluates agricultural systems from a holistic perspective and complies with the FAO's definition of agroecology (http://www.fao.org/agroecology/home/en/). It not only includes biodiversity but explicitly takes into account the people who design and maintain agricultural systems.

All over the world, agricultural systems are constantly being created that come close to, or even go beyond, the core objectives and approaches of organic farming. In organic agriculture research, they are not certified because of deviations from the standards and are therefore not researched. Exciting approaches are empirically, experimentally or in literature research scientifically processed and evaluated in their importance for organic agriculture.

The aim is also to provide impulses for the further development of organic agriculture in Germany and elsewhere in the world. Examples have already been worked on permaculture (horticulture; Mollison & Holmgren 1990), holistic management (grazing methods in dry savannahs; Savory & Butterfield 1988), novel food systems (insects, algae, "artificial" food, aquaponics; Rahmann et al. 2020), urban agriculture (urban environment; Stierand 2008) and contract nature conservation (Europe; Rahmann 2000).

Working group Agroecology

Prof. Dr. agr. habil. Gerold Rahmann

Phone: +49 4539 8880 200
Phone: +49 531 2570 1398

: gerold.rahmann@thuenen.de

Daniel Grimm

Enno Sonntag

Phone: +49 4539 8880 217
Phone: +49 531 2570 1328

: enno.sonntag@thuenen.de

Dirk Klinkmann

Phone: +49 4539 8880 414
Phone: +49 531 2570 1303

: dirk.klinkmann@thuenen.de

Projects

LandLessFood-green

Efficiency, sustainability and technology of circular food production from straw with mushrooms and earthworms. Crop residues that are no longer suitable even for ruminant feeding can still be used for food production through fungi and earthworms. This contribution to food security will be developed in a sustainable and circular way.

Farm economics in Organic Farming

Efficiency, sustainability and technology of circular food production from straw with mushrooms and earthworms. Efficiency, sustainability and technology of circular food production from straw with mushrooms and earthworms. Crop residues that are no longer suitable even for ruminant feeding can still be used for food production through fungi and earthworms. This contribution to food security will be developed in a sustainable and circular way.

LandLessFood-concept

To guarantee food security until the year 2100 and protect the environment, new concepts for the global food system are necessary. In this project the potential of bioreactors as components of circular, sustainable agricultural systems is investigated.

Monitoring of biodiversity in Trenthorst

Development of the natural biodiversity on the experimental station of the Trenthorst estates since conversion towards organic farming in 2001

Optimized sustainable pasture utilisation of the semi-arid savanna in the Kalahari

Grazing is still the most important utilisation of the vast semi-arid savannas of Afrika. This areas are endagered due to climate change and not sustainable herd management (degradation and desertification). With measures of organic farming and holostic management we try to increase the natural biomass production and therefore the production of meat in kg per hectare and year. This will result in better profitability and performance of grassland farming.

Biotope management with goats and sheep

Many areas in Germany are protected for nature purposes and suffering by shrub invasion. Goats like shrub browsing. The ability of goats to maintain protected biotopes was developed.

Beef from nature reserves

Goal of the on-farm projects was the development and assessent of integration of old endangered dairy cattle breeds and landscape management into milk producing farms.

Development of soil fertily, plant production and biodiversity after conversion of the experimental farm in Trenthorst/ Wulmenau towards organic farming in 2001

Agricultural ecosystems are mirroring their management. Maintaining farming practices will drive them in direction of a steady state, provided that climate and environmental conditions remain constant. Changes in cultivated crops, crop rotations, fertilisation, use of pesticides, soil tillage, grazing, livestock keeping and density and other management changes will influence ecosystems development. A long term farming system comparison on these questions is established in Trenthorst. The development of soil parameters, yields and qualities of plants and biodiversity is analysed since ...

Reduced tillage for soil life

Healthy soils are characterised by high biological diversity. We are investigating the influence of temporarily reduced tillage in organic farming on earthworms, springtails and yields.