The primary focus of the Permanent Senate Commission on the Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems (SKAE) is to advise various target groups in politics, research and society on developments relating to upcoming transformations in agricultural and food systems. In doing so, the Commission takes the entire value chain into account, including the natural conditions of the environment and landscape, cultivation and production systems for plants and animals, food processing methods and consumer eating habits.

The Senate Commission was established by the DFG Senate on 1 January 2024. Current topics are:

• ways of achieving food security within planetary boundaries
• ways of diversifying agricultural systems
• ways of bringing about a societal transformation in the production and consumption of meat and animal products
• ways to quantitatively describe and analyse agricultural and food systems as a basis for assessing the impact of changes.

Living Labs in Agricultural, Food and Nutrition Research

How can research and practice work more closely together in agricultural and food systems in the future? One possible approach is the use of living labs. In a new statement, the SKAE outlines the framework conditions needed for their successful implementation, including long-term funding, new incentive structures and shared societal responsibility for financing.

To the press release(interner Link)  I  To the Statement(externer Link) (in German only)

Towards a crisis-resilient agriculture

In its first position paper, the Permanent Senate Commission on the Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems (SKAE) calls for stronger political efforts to promote diversified cropping systems for arable crops. The Commission also emphasises the need for an expansion of research funding to systematically investigate the long-term effects and benefits of such systems.

To the press release(interner Link)  I  To the position paper(externer Link) (in German only)

 

Members and permanent guests

The members of the Senate Commission are academic experts representing various disciplines of the agricultural and nutritional sciences as well as neighbouring disciplines. The permanent guests represent various other research organisations in Germany. The Commission is currently chaired by Professor Doris Vetterlein of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Halle/Saale. 

On the following page you will find the members and permanent guests(interner Link) of the Senate Commission.

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Members and permanent guests

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Commission Secretariat

• Dr. Kristin Hauschild
• Dr. Juliane Horn
• Dr. Susanne Schreiter

Permanent Senate Commission on the Transformation of Agricultural and Food Systems
Helmholtz - Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH - UFZ
Department Bodensystemforschung
Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120 Halle (Saale)
Email: skae@ufz.de(externer Link)

On the Work of the Senate Commissions

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This video explains the work of the Senate Commissions of the DFG.

On YouTube(externer Link) | Download(externer Link)