Areas of Research

The Departments belonging to the Centre for International Rural Development pursue a variety of objectives. The research conducted by them is, accordingly, of great diversity. The Centre strives for inter-disciplinary integration of its research programmes along with its mandate. Priority is given to research on sustainable resource use in rural tropical and subtropical areas. The Centre primarly supports inter-disciplinary research projects.

• FUM-UK Agro­eco­lo­gy: Fos­te­ring teaching and re­se­arch in agri­cul­tu­ral eco­lo­gy 2021-2023

• Bio­di­ver­si­ty+: Col­la­bo­ra­ti­ve ca­pa­ci­ty buil­ding for plant bio­di­ver­si­ty re­se­arch and pre­ser­va­ti­on in oa­sis eco­sys­tems of Pa­kis­tan 2021-2022

• AURORA - Sustainable AgricUltuRe and sOcial-ecological systems approaches in higheR education in the MENA region

• Water management, rural engineering, soil protection, ecophysics;
• Post-harvest technology, processing, use and recycling of organic materials, technology of sustainable energy, non-chemical weed control;
• "Evergreen crop rotations" for soil protection and prevention of nutrient loss, comprehensive use of crops (food, sustainable raw materials, nitrogen cycle);
• Complex production systems in the Tropics and Subtropics, yield stability, salt tolerance, crop diversity, bio-indicators of sustainability;
• Organic farming, compost technology, nutritive substance mobilization and cycles, nutrition ecology;
• Socio-cultural factors in rural development;
• The impact of social and institutional settings on the use of sustainable rural resources;
• Inter-cultural communication/communication of (expert) knowledge;
• Participatory approaches to research, planning and extension in rural development;
• Agricultural policy parameters of rural resource use and of technology development and their sustainability;
• Breeding of appropriate animal species, use of animals in environmental protection;
• Farming System Research (FSR).