Agroecosystems in Transformation: Visions, Technologies and Actors
17 - 19 September 2024 | Berlin, Germany | www.Landscape2024.org
Pre-conference workshops: 16 September 2024 | Excursions: 20 September 2024
The LANDSCAPE 2024 conference (the 3rd triannual LANDSCAPE conference) brings together international experts to discuss the transformation of agricultural landscapes. The theme of the conference is "Agroecosystems in Transformation: visions, technologies, and actors", highlighting the critical importance of having a clear vision, innovative technologies, and actors in driving sustainable changes in agricultural landscapes.
The conference will focus on the future of agricultural landscapes and the role of technology and actors in their transformation. In particular, discussions will focus on the synergies and trade-offs between different environmental goals such as preventing biodiversity loss, adapting to climate change, conserving soils and their functions, and reducing chemical inputs. The potential of emerging technologies and socio-technological innovations, including agricultural digitalization and biotechnological innovations, will also be explored in the context of transforming agroecosystems. The conference will delve into the political, socio-economic and cultural aspects of transformation. That includes both positive and negative social consequences, the role of policy and actors' behaviours, their interactions and their contribution to the knowledge co-production. This conference provides a unique opportunity for researchers to come together to share their knowledge and experiences in transforming agroecosystems. The discussions and presentations at LANDSCAPE 2024 will help lay the foundation for a more sustainable future for agriculture in the EU and worldwide and provide insights for policymakers and practitioners to make informed decisions.
LANDSCAPE 2024 invites anyone interested in the future of agriculture and the role of technological innovations and actors in driving sustainable change. The conference provides a platform for international researchers to present their visions, innovative technologies, and insights into the transformation of agroecosystems and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in this field.
Further information can be found on the conference website: www.Landscape2024.org
Visions
The future of agricultural landscapes and their agroecosystems is a topic of great importance and debate, with many initiatives and political agenda set in place to ensure their sustainable development. The short-term outlook involves setting concrete goals and targets, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (2030), UN Decades of Ecosystem Restoration (2030), Pesticide-free Agriculture for Biodiversity Conservation (2030), and the EU Green Deal (2050). These goals are crucial for the transformation of agricultural landscapes, but it is equally important to develop long-term visions to identify transformation pathways for upcoming decades. These visions should take into account the future function and management methods of the transformed agricultural landscapes, as well as prepare political frameworks and enhance capacity building to meet the changes as a society. The trade-offs between different goals, such as prevention of biodiversity loss, adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, conservation of soils and their functions, and reduction of synthetic chemical inputs, will be discussed at LANDSCAPE 2024. The conference provides a platform for the presentation of such visions from all over Europe and will facilitate a discussion of trade-offs and synergies. The conference will also discuss the role of science in realising these visions and the actions necessary to bring them to fruition.
Technologies
Emerging technologies play a crucial role in transforming agricultural landscapes towards increased productivity, sustainability, and resilience in the face of global change. Precision agriculture optimizes crop yields, improves resource efficiency, and reduces environmental impact. Conservation agriculture with technology supports practices such as no-till farming, crop rotation, crop microbiome management and pesticide-reduction by biocontrol measures, will lead to improved soil health and increased biodiversity. Technology can also enhance the resilience of agroecosystems to climate change through means such as crop breeding technology, precision farming, and efficient water use. The traceability and transparency of food systems can be improved through technology, allowing consumers and decision-makers to understand the environmental and social impact of the food they consume. The future potential and current practical applications of technology in agriculture are promising, but require innovative data analysis and management methods such as artificial intelligence to handle high volume data. The conference LANDSCAPE 2024 invites researchers to contribute their knowledge and research on promising technologies and their limitations in transforming agricultural landscapes.
The conference specifically seeks scientific contributions in the fields of plant breeding, digital technologies, robotics, microbiome management including alternative biocontrol applications and strategies.
Actors
Actors play a central role in the transformation of agricultural landscapes, as their actions and interactions across social, cultural, political, economic, technological, and environmental spheres significantly influence the outcome of this transformation. In particular, transformation of agroecosystems may require significant systemic and structural shifts, including changes to actors’ behaviours, values, norms and interests, regulatory regimes and financial institutions. Under this theme, the LANDSCAPE 2024 conference invites research on the economic, policy and socio-cultural aspects of this transformation. This includes the interdependence of a diverse range of actors and how their behaviours, interventions and interactions contribute to the vision and processes of transformation. A better understanding and realisation of social justice is needed in these processes, which takes into account both positive and negative social consequences that may arise from intentional transformations. The conference will also address the contribution of the policy on the transformative change of agroecosystem, as well as the role of socio-technological innovations and knowledge co-production in creating high-quality and socially robust knowledge that can lead to effective solutions and the transformation of agricultural landscapes.
Further information
