BOKU CAS Annual Autumn Congress (BOKU CAS Herbsttagung)

Food Security in an Uncertain Time - Global Perspectives and Spotlights from Breeding.

The 12th CAS Autumn Congress was held on November 18, 2022 at BOKU and was dedicated to the topic of food security and provided a forum to discuss global perspectivesespecially the contribution of breeding to achieving sustainable food security in the future

In the introductory lecture, Stefan Schmitz (Executive Director, Crop Trust, Bonn) spoke about the importance of crop diversity in the context of food security. In particular, his presentation highlighted the importance of seed banks, where plant genetic diversity is permanently preserved. "It is important to maintain seed banks, modernize them
and make them available for future research. The development of agricultural yields in climate change will decline in very many areas of the world, so the importance of plant breeding based on diversity will become much more important," said Schmitz

Karlheinz Erb, (SEC, BOKU), made it clear in his presentation that the global food system is one of the most significant drivers for sustainable development, for "global change". The production and consumption of animal foods plays a special role here. Dietary changes that lead to a reduction in the consumption of animal products have multiple positive effects on sustainability, such as reduced land pressure, creation of carbon sinks, reduced intensity of land use, reduced pressure on biodiversity. However, the responsibility must not only be transferred to the consumers, but structural strategies are needed in feed and animal production. and animal production."

In his presentation, Johann Vollmann (Institute of Plant Breeding, BOKU) discussed the contribution that soybean breeding can make to food security. He sees the greatest potential in breeding varieties with appropriate protein qualities and yields. He also emphasized that the soybean, which is used worldwide primarily as animal feed, also has great potential for human nutrition, provided there is sufficient diversity as the basis for successful breeding. "If we want to achieve a nutritional turnaround and use more plant protein directly in our diets, we need genetic diversity. We also need this diversity to ensure food safety.
tion, where issues such as allergens, heavy metals or health effects can become striking," Vollmann said.

"Animal genetic resources can play an important role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, food security, poverty reduction, economic growth and increased resilience," stressed Roswitha Baumung (Animal Production Officer, FAO). Species and breeds adapted to the location must be used, which is only possible if a certain diversity of breeds can be relied on. In breeding, it is essential to focus more on traits that improve adaptability, robustness and resilience. In the wake of increased criticism of livestock farming, Baumung also pointed out that 6 billion tons of feed are used in livestock farming worldwide, the majority of which cannot be used directly for human consumption. However, livestock can convert these feedstuffs into high-quality food. In Austrian cattle breeding, enormous developments have been achieved in milk yield and lifetime performance. At the same time, however, there has been a clear focus on improvement in the area of functional traits (e.g., health traits) in the last year(s). "I see these balanced breeding goals in Austria as a development that is overall going in the right direction, especially as far as fitness traits are concerned. Consistent data collection and use, modern breeding value estimation, as well as openness to science and innovations contribute significantly to breeding success," Birgit Fürst-Waltl (NUWI, BOKU) made clear.

Stefanie Lemke (IDR, BOKU) emphasized in the last presentation that a fundamental transformation of food systems is needed for sustainable food security. For this, above all, the structural causes of disadvantage must be researched and changed: "We need gender justice and participation in the sense of true participation, such as participation in land, education and health, especially for certain groups of women and youth, in the sense of an intersectional approach that looks at different categories of social inequality. This is important not only in the South, but in the global context. More attention needs to be paid to the right to adequate food and food sovereignty."

The conference was held this year again analogue at the Türkenschanze, you can find the program to the conference here.

Videorecording of the Congress:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzs4u3qlQE0

On Friday, November 12, 2021, the 11th Autumn Conference of the Center for Agricultural Sciences of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences will take place.

This year's conference will focus on the European "Farm-to-fork" strategy, with particular emphasis on the goal of "ensuring sustainable food production".

National and international speakers will shed light on the 4 quantitative targets of the "Farm-to-fork" strategy up to the year 2030 and in particular discuss the implementation and feasibility as well as the consequences of the implementation for Austria.

The conference will thus cover a broad range of topics, namely.

1) the reduction of the overall consumption, risk and use of hazardous pesticides by 50%.
2) the reduction of nutrient losses by at least 50% and the reduction of fertilizer use by 20%.
3) the reduction of the sale of antimicrobial agents for livestock and in aquaculture by 50%.
4) achieving at least 25% of the EU's agricultural land being farmed organically.

In the introductory lecture, Dr. Wolfgang Burtscher, Director General of the European Commission's Directorate for Agriculture and Rural Development, will present the EU Commission's view and expectations on the objectives and implementation of the Farm-to-Fork Strategy at Member State level and give a specific view on Austria in this context.

The detailed conference program you find here.

Time and place

Friday, 12. November 2021 – 9:00 Uhr to 13:00 Uhr
The conference is held online, you can join by the following
LINK:  short.boku.ac.at/cas-herbsttagung

Registration

The conference is open to all audiences and free of charge, we anyhow ask you to kindly register via email at cas_anmeldungen(at)boku.ac.at!

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Each autumn, the BOKU Centre of Agricultural Scienes organises an annual conference, the so-called "BOKU CAS Herbsttagung". The conference picks up most recent and most relevant topics of agricultural research and societal discourse.

BOKU scientists as well a guest speakers present and discuss most recent develoments and research and highlight future solutions.

The first BOKU CAS Annual Autumn Congress was held in 2010.

Since then a broad variety of agricultural aspects and topics have been covered:

120 years of plant protection at BOKU

15.11.2018

Presentations:

Opening: Jochen Kantelhardt, Chairmen of BOKU-CAS (Video)
Welcome: Sabine Baumgartner, BOKU Vicedirector of teaching and education (Video)

120 Jahre Pflanzenschutz an der BOKU: Pflanzenschutz in Lehre und Forschung: Siegrid Steinkellner, Leiterin der BOKU Abteilung Pflanzenschutz am UFT (Video)

Pflanzenschutz in der österreichischen Landwirtschaft: Ökologie und Ökonomie im Einklang ist die Zielsetzung: Adolf Marksteiner, Landwirtschaftskammer Österreich (Video)

Pflanzenschutz – Herausforderungen für die Zukunft: Andreas von Tiedemann, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Video)

Zukunft Biene - Über die Ursachen der Bienenverluste in Österreich: Karl Crailsheim, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (Video)

Phytosanitäre Schaderreger - immer aktuell: Herausforderungen und Perspekiven: Sylvia Blümel, AGES und  BOKU Wien

Im Fokus: Ein Themenquerschnitt aus der Abteilung Pflanzenschutz:  Elisabeth Koschier, Markus Redl, Krzysztof Wieczorek, Theresa Steiner und Karin Hage-Ahmed, Abteilung Pflanzenschutz, BOKU Wien (Video)

Videoplaylist

Animal production - societal demands and systematic approaches

27. November 2017

Presentations:

"Moderne Technologien zur Umsetzung von Zuchtzielen" (Video)
Univ.Prof. Dr. Johann Sölkner, Leiter, Institut für Nutztierwissenschaften, BOKU

"Schlachtung trächtiger Tiere: Ein wenig beachtetes Problem" (Video)
Univ.Prof. Dr. Christoph Winckler, stellv. Leiter Institut für Nutztierwissenschaften, BOKU

"Klimafreundliche und ressourceneffiziente Ernährung der Wiederkäuer - Einblick und Ausblick" (Video)
Dr. Angela Schwarm, Bereichsleiterin, Verdauung, Stoffwechsel und Umwelt, ETH Zürich

"Technologische Futteraufbereitung als Beitrag zur Ressourcenschonung" (Video)
Univ.Prof. Dr. Martin Gierus, Leiter, Institut für Tierernährung, Tierische Lebensmittel und Ernährungsphysiologie, BOKU

"Tierische Produktion - Beitrag zur oder Gefahr für die Ernährungssicherung?" (Video)
Ao.Univ.Prof. Dr. Werner Zollitsch, Leiter, Department für Nachhaltige Agrarsysteme, BOKU

Legumes - valuable plants for sustainable agriculture

Presentations:

Begrüßung und Eröffnung - Univ. Prof. Dr. Jochen Kantelhardt, Leiter des BOKU-CAS

„Agrarwissenschaften am Standort Tulln“ Teil 1 - Univ. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Hans-Peter Kaul

"Agrarwissenschaften am Standort Tulln" Teil 2 Univ. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Hermann Bürstmayr

"Sojabohnenzüchtung für Futter- und Nahrungsmittelproduktion" - Ao. Univ. Prof. Dr. Johann Vollmann

"Donau Soja für eine nachhaltige europäische Eiweißversorgung" - Mag. Ursula Bittner

“Winterkörnerleguminosen als Produktionsalternativen” - Priv.-Doz. Dr. Reinhard Neugschwandtner

"Eigenschaften und Prozessierung von Körnerleguminosen für die Human- und Tierernährung” - Priv.-Doz. Dr. Karl Schedle & Univ. Prof. Dr. Ing. Henry Jäger

“Ökonomische Betrachtung von Nachhaltigkeitsfragen einer GVO-freien Eiweißversorgung unter Berücksichtigung neuer Entwicklungen in der Pflanzenzüchtung” - Prof. Dr. Justus Wesseler

Agriculture and soil - Economy, Ecology and Social Demands

20.11.2015

Presentations:

Begrüßung und Eröffnung, Univ. Prof. Dr. Jochen Kantelhardt, Leiter des BOKU-CAS

„Boden an der Bodenkultur“, Univ. Prof. Dr. Martin Gerzabek, Rektor der Universität für Bodenkultur

„Biofuels' Unbalanced Equations: Theoretical Demand, Misleading Statistics, and Measured Soil Capabilities“, Dr. Kate Showers, Centre for World Environmental History, University of Sussex and Five Colleges, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

„The Impact of agricultural policy on land sales and rental prices“ Univ. Prof. Mag. Dr. Klaus Salhofer Institut für Nachhaltige Wirtschaftsentwicklung, BOKU

Bioeconomy in the focus of research

21. November 2014

BOKU youtube

State or Markets - Perspectives for Agriculture

22. November 2013

Presentations:
"Globale Ressourcenverfügbarkeit und die Rolle von Weltagrarmärkten"
Univ.Prof.Dr. Harald von Witzke, Internationaler Agrarhandel und Entwicklung, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

"Landwirtschaft ohne Subventionen? Marktliberale Konzepte und ihre praktische Relevanz"
Univ.Prof.Dr. Markus Hofreither, Inst. f. Nachhaltige Wirtschaftsentwicklung, BOKU

"Naturnahe Landschaftselemente im Agrarland - wie wichtig sind sie für die Biodiversität?"
Univ.Prof.Dr. Thomas Frank, Inst. f. Zoologie, BOKU

"Resilienz und der Umgang mit dynamischen Rahmenbedingungen - die Sicht der Betriebe"
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Ika Darnhofer, Inst. f. Agrar- und Forstökonomie, BOKU

Ecological and sustainable intensification

15.11.2019

Presentations:

"Ist nachhaltige Landwirtschaft ohne technologischen Wandel möglich?
Ein geschichtlicher Rückblick"

Dr. Philipp Aerni - Prof. f. Agrarwirtschaft, ETH Zürich,
Senior Researcher, World Trade Institute, Univ. Bern, derzeit FAO, Rom

"Nachhaltige Ressourcennutzung in der Landwirtschaft - Was kann die Pflanzenzüchtung dazu beitragen?"
Univ.Prof.Dr. Hermann Bürstmayr, Inst. f. Biotechnologie i. d. Pflanzenproduktion

"Bodenressourcen, Bodenfunktionen und nachhaltige Entwicklung"
Univ.Prof.Dr. Martin Gerzabek - Inst. f. Bodenforschung, Dep. f. Wald- und Bodenwissenschaften
Rektor der BOKU

"Ecological intensification tierischer Produktionssysteme - Optionen aus österreichischer Perspektive"
Ao. Univ.Prof.Dr. Werner Zollitsch - Inst. f. Nutztierwissenschaften, Dep. f. Nachhaltige Agrarsysteme
Univ. Prof.Dr. Jochen Kantelhardt - Inst. f. Agrar- und Forstökonomie, Dep. f. Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften

Quo vadis Agrarwissenschaft?

14.11.2011

Presentations:

Agrarwissenschaftliche Forschung
"Forschung in den Agrar- und Forstwissenschaften -
Eine Positionsbestimmung aus Sicht der DFG"
Univ.Prof.Dr. Wolfgang Friedt (Univ. Gießen, DFG)"

"Können sich die Agrarwissenschaften ihre Forschung selbst organisieren?"
Univ.Prof.Dr. Thomas Jungbluth (Univ.Hohenheim, DAFA)

Erwartungen der Gesellschaft an die Agrarwissenschaften

"Nachhaltig die Welt ernähren"
Dr. Franz Fischler (Ökosoziales Forum)

Leitbild der Agrarwissenschaften an der BOKU

Impulsreferate zum Thema:
Ao.Univ.Prof. DI.Dr. Herbert Weingartmann (BOKU-CAS)
Stephan Pabst, Bakk.techn. (bis 2011, Studienvertreter AW)

Discussion
"Was sollen und können die Agrarwissenschaften leisten?"
Moderator: Gen.Sekr. Mag.DI.Dr. Reinhard Mang
(Lebensministerium und Beirat des CAS)