Profile of the Faculty 11

As a university department of organic agricultural sciences, we arerethinking agriculture and nutrition on a national and internationalscientific basis. We combine research, teaching and social dialog to develop solutions for the key issues of our time - evidence-based, interdisciplinary and with a clear stance in favor of organic agriculture.

Our scientific strength lies in combining disciplinary excellence with systemic thinking. In research and teaching, we investigate the complex interactions between soil, plants, animals, humans and technology using modern empirical, analytical and data-based methods. We combine theory and practice, basic and applied research, critical analysis and innovation.

We teach students to think scientifically, classify data and take responsibility. A variety of teaching formats make science tangible and enable students to work on complex agricultural and nutrition-related issues independently and in a solution-oriented manner.

The aim of our work is to contribute to the production of healthy, high-quality food and at the same time to strengthen sustainable ecological and social systems. We see agriculture as a complex social system whose development requires both scientific reflection and technological innovation.

Our research shows that short-term increases in efficiency are often accompanied by ecological, economic and social costs. We counter this with holistic, sustainable concepts for a transformation of the agricultural and food industry, geared towards resilience, a circular economy and long-term stability.

The central scientific content of our work is

• Development and analysis of closed material cycles at farm, local and regional level based on systemic potentials
• Research into biodiversity and functional diversity as the basis of stable agroecosystems
• Development of well-founded concepts for species-appropriate livestock farming that combine animal welfare, ethics and productivity
• Investigation of rural areas, taking socio-cultural, economic and political dimensions into account
• Ecological optimization of resource management with simultaneous strengthening of regional value creation
• Interdisciplinary research along the entire value chain (local and global), from production and processing to marketing, food cultures and consumer behavior

Our university is a place where excellent science assumes social responsibility. We educate students who think critically, act on the basis of evidence and actively shape the transformation of agriculture and nutrition - in a well-founded, reflective and future-oriented manner.