Little animals with big impact at SFIAR Awards

On the evening of 15 December, guests gathered at ETH Zurich to attend the Swiss Forum for International Agricultural Research (SFIAR) Awards. The annual award is for graduates and scientists of a Swiss institution who work in agricultural research for development.

SFIAR President, Martijn Sonnevelt, welcomed the guests and then introduced the keynote speaker. Felix Dubach, Head International Market Development at the Andermatt Group, spoke about the potential and challenges of biocontrol for smallholders in developing countries.

The PhD award was then presented to Patrick Fallet for University of Neuchatel for his work on a novel nematode-based biocontrol solution for farmers against the fall armyworm.

Adrian Fuhrmann, ETH Zurich doctoral student, was then presented the Masters Award for his research examining the consequences of using residues from black soldier fly rearing as a plant fertiliser for the soil microbial community and soil fertility. The residues arise in large quantities when the larvae of the black soldier fly feed on organic waste. The larvae are used as a protein-rich animal feed. Utilising the residues from that process as a fertiliser is promising for fostering plant growth. However, the range of their effects still need to be better understood as a basis for employing them efficiently in agriculture. This research was published in external page Frontiers of Microbiology.

This study was conducted under the supervision of the Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, led by Johan Six. It was supported as part of the RUNRES project, seeking to improve circularity of food systems in African cities. The findings are relevant for his ongoing research on integrating black soldier fly larvae rearing into the urban space.

Congratulations to the winners!

external page More information about SFIAR Award