Workshop for Early Career Scientists "Agroecosystems 2020 - Integrated Soil, Plant, Microbiome and Biodiversity Research for Sustainable Land Use"

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Steffen Kolb
• Subject Area: Soil Sciences
• Term: from 2020 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 440447569

Answering urgent questions on the realisation of a sustainable and environment-friendly land use facing an increasing demand for food, feed, and energy under climate change requires system-orientated research approaches and joint interdisciplinary research. In the frame of the proposed Workshop for Early Career Investigators "Agroecosystems 2020" excellent early career scientists from relevant disciplines of agricultural and ecosystem sciences (soil sciences, rhizosphere research, plant nutrition and physiology, crop science and modelling, agricultural engineering, statistics, agriculture and landscape ecology, agriculture microbiology) will discuss and devolop innovative research projects in the field of 'Integrated Soil, Plant, Microbiome, and Biodiversity Research for a Sustainable Land Use'. The selected disciplines were chosen since new strategies need to be developed that (a) adress the scale of landscapes and regions, (b) consider various ecosystem services and biodiversity and (c) are based on the understanding of crop plants, soil and the agriculture (micro-)biome.The sustainable stabilisation of plant production and maintenance of ecosystem services and biodiversity in the landscape context requires a systemic and ecosystem compartment bridging research. In such an interdisciplinary environment, early career scientists together with experienced scientists will discuss system-orientated research questions. Mainly an inclusion of disciplinary concepts in an interdisciplinary context will be the focus. Early career scientists will be coached by experienced scientists for developing their own research projects. In a second step the self-reliant conductance of an interdisciplinary research project will be a topic. The Workshop for Early Career Investigators will thus allow for an in-depth exchange between young and experienced scientists.

• DFG Programme: Workshops for Early Career Investigators