WFSC News

As the RUNRES project enters its second phase of developing and now upscaling innovations for circular economies in the rural-urban nexus, private-public-partnerships will continue to play an important role.

New ways to measure nitrous oxide emissions from soils as well as detect invasive pests in vineyards are the foci of two new interdisciplinary projects starting in 2024. Both projects are funded by the Center’s Smart Sustainable Farming Research Program.

The Center announces two new projects starting in 2024 focused on understanding how different crop rotation practices affect water and nitrogen balances as well as production. Both projects are funded by the Improving Sustainability of Agricultural and Food Systems across Key Environmental Metrics Research Program.  

Food Day @ETH brought more than 200 people with different backgrounds together to discuss food system transformation. The networking poster session gave young scientists a stage to present their innovative research on food system topics.

In a new study, an international consortium led by researchers at ETH Zurich, investigated the cascading impacts after two consecutive hurricanes (Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017) on smallholder banana farmers in Dominican Republic.

The World Food System Center along with the Grassland Sciences Group are pleased to announce the return of the public lecture series on agroecology and its role in the transformation of sustainable food systems.

As part of the Open Your Eyes Photo Festival, a panel discussion brought together experts and ETH Zurich students to discuss the sustainability of Swiss food production.  

The Flagship Project Enhancing Resilience in Food Systems seeks to directly contribute to food systems resilience by supporting decision-​making in practice through stakeholder participation and academic education. Several projects are ongoing in countries across Africa and in Switzerland.

Insect pests cause major crop damage and yield losses. ETH Zurich researcher Anna Spescha shares her work with beneficial soil organisms to control insect pests.

A multidisciplinary project, led by researchers at ETH Zurich, explored how organic bean production in North Macedonia can be optimized. Akanksha Singh presents findings from the project in a new video.

In a new video, ETH Zurich researcher Christian Andres presents how dynamic agroforestry can contribute to healthy, sustainable cocoa farms and the livelihoods of farmers.

A multidisciplinary project led by the AgroEcological Transition Group at ETH Zurich aims to understand the links between collective decision-​making and ecological footprints in coffee and soybean value chains.

The program funds interdisciplinary projects that together lay the foundation to better understand the sustainability of relevant European cropping systems and improve their environmental footprint.

Our public lecture series focusing on agroecology is back! Join us to discuss this holistic and integrated approach with experts from across the food system.

Professors and senior researchers at ETH Zurich are invited to submit research projects involving at least two research groups and, ideally, combine an agronomic perspective with a technical, computational, data-​based, or socio-​economic perspective.

Eaten directly or in plant-based meat alternatives, incorporating pulses into diets offers a source of more sustainable protein for human nutrition. New research at ETH Zurich aims to speed up the breeding of new varieties of dry peas for different Swiss climates.

In collaboration with the Swiss Society for Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Sociology, the World Food System Center held a webinar discussing the needs but also the challenges of implementing social sustainability standards in our food systems.

The Swiss Forum for International Agricultural Research awards focused on little animals that make big impact in agriculture. Adrian Fuhrmann from ETH Zurich won the Masters Award for his research on black soldier fly rearing.

The World Food System Center of ETH Zurich and Bayer launch a partnership focused on sustainable agricultural systems and production practices. Bayer is supporting several interdisciplinary research projects of the World Food System Center with a total donation of 1.1 million Swiss francs over the next four years.

Cassava-maize intercropping is a traditional crop production system in southern Nigeria. Yields from both crops, however, are low compared with potential yields. New collaborative research looked at planting densities and nutrient management to create a site-specific decision support tool for farmers.

Years of field research is showing the potential of dynamic agroforestry to help create diverse, healthy cocoa farms. A recent workshop brought local stakeholders in Ghana together to propose solutions to increase the adoption of agroforestry on farms.

An evening of open discussion about sustainable pest management systems led to lively exchange amoung the guests and interdisciplinary experts from agronomy, agroecology, human toxicology, ecotoxicology and agricultural economics and policy.

A newly funded interdisciplinary project will focus on using smartphone images of fields to create visualizations of past and future crop development. This project is the first funded through the research initiative launched by the World Food System Center and fenaco cooperative on the topic of Smart Sustainable Farming.

Announcing a discussion event at ETH Zurich. Join to openly exchange with an expert consortium on how agriculture can transform to include sustainable pest management systems.

Nina Buchmann and Michael Siegrist look back on their time as Chair of the World Food System Center. From it founding with 25 members and subsequent growth, both reflect on the relevance of the food system research.

Mélanie Surchat recently spent three months in Rwanda, seeking to understand the potential of the biowaste economy to create decent work opportunities, from the workers’ perspective. Her work provides insights into often ignored impacts associated with the circular bioeconomy.

An upcoming seminar with food systems expert Chris Barrett will focus on how successful transformation of our food system will require the combination of accelerated technological change with a range of policy, institutional and cultural innovations.

The new exhibition “Science on Your Plate” at the Mühlerama Museum in Zurich takes visitors on the journey of our food. And it seeks answers to one of the most difficult questions: How do we feed a growing world population?

This Spring, the Treffpunkt Science City Public Science Program "Zu Tisch" focuses how we eat both environmentally friendly and healthily. World Food System Center members will be on hand to share their expertise and personal reflections at many of the events.

Througout 2021, the Flagship Project Enhancing Resilience in Food Systems continued to move forward, holding stakeholder workshops and publishing results aimed at creating operational approaches for decision-makers to design food systems resilience.

In an upcoming course, participants will learn how to use systemic and transdisciplinary approaches to transform waste into resources, close loops, create shared value, and leverage interconnections to design interventions that build resilience.

The World Food System Center of ETH Zurich and the fenaco cooperative launch a joint research initiative at the interface of agriculture, sustainable production systems, robotics and artificial intelligence. With this initiative, fenaco is supporting the establishment of the Smart Sustainable Farming Research Cluster at the World Food System Center with a total of 1.2 million Swiss Francs over the next six years, thus enabling several interdisciplinary projects.

At Scientifica, visitors talked with researchers joining the World Food System Center and ETH4D exhibit about innovations for sustainable development and food systems.

The Science Days for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021 take place on 08 and 09 July. The Center will participate in the side event Transforming Food Systems through Agroecology: Learning from Evidence.

The WFSC Research Programs support new cross-​​disciplinary and solution-​oriented research to address food system challenges. New short films highlight the results from several projects.

In collaboration with GreenBuzz and the Plant Science Center, the WFSC held a virtual event focused on increasing the resilience of food systems to climate change.

ETH Zurich researchers join forces with Bayer and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to develop nature-based solutions that counteract biodiversity loss on farms.

On 25 May, the WFSC presents Science Stories - an event focused on sharing of insights from food systems research projects at ETH Zurich. Guests can watch the premiere of several of WFSC short films and network with other food systems researchers.

Swiss food industry leaders Bühler Group, Givaudan, and Nestlé share why they are partnering with ETH Zurich and EPFL to fund innovative research targeting future food issues.

The World Food System Center at ETH Zurich and Nestlé partner to support research to explore scientific solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change while increasing sustainability, nutritional quality, and yield in agriculture.

This year's World Food System Center Research Symposium presented food systems research at ETH Zurich in two distinct online events: Plant Breeding for Global Food Security Webinar and Poster Session and Networking Event.

In the Nature Food article ‘Pathways for advancing pesticide policies,’ a consortium of researchers suggest key steps to achieve a reduction in pesticide risks. Several authors from the work shared their insights at a webinar on the topic.

The final report from the international consortium project “Delivering Food Security on Limited Land” highlights the need for sustainable intensification, lower consumption of livestock products, and waste reduction by 50% to be able to provide food and nutrition security on limited land area and poor soil quality.

At the session “Enhancing Biodiversity to Support Sustainable Crop Production” at the World Biodiversity Forum held on 28 February 2020 in Davos, policy makers, scientists, and practitioners shared the current state-of-the-art and challenges of intercropping.

The Sustainable Agroecosystems group has received funding for the new science communication project “Edible research goes storytelling: Participative design of an interactive art-science exhibition on food value chains.”  The Swiss National Science Foundation Agora project will start in February 2021.

In the recent edition of the Diplomatic Courier, WFSC Executive Director Martijn Sonnevelt advocates for a systems approach to create solutions to achieve a more sustainable and resilient food system.

The World Food System Center is one of 21 initiatives showcased in the new report “Beacons of Hope: Accelerating Transformations to Sustainable Food Systems.” The initiatives profiled from across the world are working in diverse ways to achieve sustainable, equitable, and secure food systems.

At the AgriTech Day, the ETH-Research Station for Plant Sciences, Strickhof and AgroVet-Strickhof opened their doors under the motto "Agriculture of the future - digital and sustainable?" At numerous attractions, demonstrations and forums discussions, visitors discovered innovative tools to support sustainable Swiss agriculture.

Apply to the World Food System Summer School and join a community of motivated and like-minded students, researchers, and practitioners from around the world to explore how to build sustainable food systems in times of rapid change.  

At the special show "Experience Food" of this year’s Swiss Fair for Agriculture and Nutrition (Olma), visitors of all ages learned about the wonders of grains, from the field to the plate. ETH Zurich presented an exhibit at the show highlighting its innovative research on our food system, specifically the sustainable production of cereals.