Improving Sustainability of Agricultural and Food Systems Research Program
The Improving Sustainability of Agricultural and Food Systems across Key Environmental Metrics Research Program focuses on improving sustainability of agricultural and food systems across key environmental metrics. The goal is to understand the benefits and tradeoffs of various measures in agricultural systems and production practices while maintaining the production potential and strengthening overall resilience of the agricultural system towards climate.
Funded Projects
Environmental, economic, and social metrics and trade-offs for regenerative agriculture
Postdoctoral Researcher: Dr. Manon Longpierre, Sustainable Agroecosystems, ETH Zurich
Principal Investigators: Dr. Martin Hoffman & Prof. Johan Six, Sustainable Agroecosystems, ETH Zurich and Mollie Chapman, TdLab, ETH Zurich
This project focuses on creating a scalable framework for assessing the interplay between the environmental, economic, and social factors of regenerative agriculture through a living lab approach in close collaboration with farmers. Postdoctoral researcher Manon Longepierre explains, "Regenerative agriculture seeks to improve soil health, biodiversity and water efficiency while sequestering carbon to combat climate change. Through a holistic approach, it aims to promote ecologically resilient, economically viable, and socially just systems."
Increasing sustainability and nitrogen use efficiency by improving peas for crop rotation
Postdoctoral Researcher: Dr. Beat Keller, Crop Science, ETH Zurich
Principal Investigators: Prof. Achim Walter, Crop Science, ETH Zurich; Dr. Astrid Oberson, Plant Nutrition, ETH Zurich
Plant-based protein production is currently proposed as a key way to decrease the environmental footprint of agriculture and to improve human nutrition, especially in Europe. However, with an increased demand for plant-based products, new grain legume varieties are required with high protein content and quality.
This new project aims to identifying efficient pea varieties with high photosynthetic efficiency, nitrogen fixation potential, and protein production. The work will employ state of the art phenotyping technology for the screening of photosynthetic efficiency in the field, and the technology’s potential for the detection of highly productive pea breeding lines and varieties will be evaluated. Instead of optimization of fertilizer use, the researchers propose a different approach to increase nitrogen use efficiency at the farm level by introducing legumes into crop rotation or improving existing varieties in crop rotation.
News
2025: Focus on the ongoing project investigating water and nitrogen balances in the fruit orchard of Europe. News item
2024: 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. News item
2022: World Food System Center of ETH Zurich and Bayer start partnership aimed at improving sustainability of agricultural and food systems. News Item
2022: ETH Foundation Spotlight: Bayer supports sustainability of agricultural and food systems. external page News item
Bayer supports this Research Program of the World Food System Center with a total donation of 1.1 million Swiss francs to the ETH Foundation.
Recent calls for the program closed in May 2024. Download Call for Proposals 2024 Information (PDF, 172 KB)
Direct funding is restricted to ETH Zurich World Food System Center members.
