16.10.2023
From September 18th-24th, the international, transdisciplinary Agroecology4Climate project team held their kick-off meeting both at ZALF and at the University of Hohenheim. Researchers and farmer representatives from four case study regions in Brazil, Canada, Germany and India met to agree on project goals, shared values and understandings of the central concepts and methods used in the project. The workshop included farm tours in eastern Brandenburg, a lively day at ZALF, workshopping on the joint train ride to Stuttgart, and then two more days in Hohenheim to pin down the diverse qualitative and quantitative methods that will be applied in each of the case studies.
Agroecology4Climate builds on transdisciplinary research on agroecological transitions with vulnerable farming communities in Canada, Germany, India, and Brazil. We are examining the influence of agroecological networks (farming organizations, institutional actors, and consumer groups) in promoting the perennialization of agriculture to support climate adaptation (improving resilience in livelihoods and food security) and mitigation (increasing carbon sequestration). Diversified perennialization (often referred to as agroforestry) involves integrating annual and perennial crops and trees into the same farming system. Compared to annual cropping systems that currently dominate global agriculture and markets, perennial crops show great promise for climate adaptation and mitigation because of their contributions to carbon sequestration in tree biomass and soil organic carbon, as well as reduced chemical fertilizer and pesticide use and their buffering effects against soil degradation, drought, and other forms of extreme weather and climate variability. This project works directly with farming communities, social movements, and policy makers to improve evidence-based decision-making to assess the potential of agroecological transitions for climate adaptation and mitigation. At ZALF, Julia Fritzsche and Maria Kernecker are leading the Brandenburg case study together with Julia Bar Tal from the AbL.
