The Senate Commission on Agroecosystem Research
German research into agroecosystems is at a high level and covers a broad subject spectrum. Due to location and subject fragmentation, however, it lacks the requisite degree of interdisciplinarity, as well as national and international visibility. The Senate Commission on Agroecosystem Research aims to draw up interdisciplinary approaches for coordinating scientific expertise, improving research infrastructures, and establishing framework conditions conducive to performing agroecosystem research. Due to the reorganization of the entire agricultural research landscape following the evaluation of the agricultural faculties and the partial reorganisation of non-university and government agency research, this is of paramount importance (DFG, 2005).
Further information is available in the following publication:
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Perspektiven der agrarwissenschaftlichen Forschung / Future Perspectives of Agricultural Science and Research. Denkschrift / Memorandum. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag, Weinheim 2005. 48 pages, 32.90 euros / 53.00 Swiss francs, ISBN 3-527-27225-9
The Commission’s strategic aim is to strengthen agroecosystem research at universities by providing an improved and more focussed orientation.
During its first mandate term (2012-2014), the Senate Commission on Agroecosystem Research will tackle the following current issues:
- How can the productivity of a given area be increased while protecting non-renewable, natural resources, as well as protecting and maintaining ecosystem services?
The aim is to define essential research topics to ensure location-appropriate, efficient yield increases, as well as the impetuses necessary to facilitate the cross-disciplinary handling of said topics within the scientific system. - How must the existing agroecological field research infrastructures be improved (or expanded) in order to provide answers to the cross-disciplinary research questions mentioned above?
The aim is to synchronise and optimise agronomic field testing at German university locations.
Dr. Margit v. Lützow
Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde
Technische Universität München
D-85350 Freising-Weihenstephan
phone: 08161 71 3679 or 08444 918 456
fax: 08161 71 4466
e-mail: luetzow@wzw.tum.de
For further information, please contact
Gisela Devinck
E-Mail: skaf@dfg.de
