Individualized Livestock Production

Title

Welternährung und Wasserressourcen: eine agrarhydrologische Perspektive.

Acronym

AgroHyd

Start

01.04.2011

End

31.03.2014

Coordinating Institute

Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie e.V. (ATB)

Coordinator

Partner

Internet

http://www2.atb-potsdam.de/agrohyd

Summary

The objective of the project is to increase productivity in agriculture by raising water-use efficiency on the basis of the following questions: How can the water demand for food production be balanced according to the standard of the Life Cycle Assessment? What measures raise water productivity substantially within plant production? What measures raise water productivity substantially in livestock farming? How high is the water demand of entire chains of production in agricultural food production? To what extent will water demand for food production increase due to growing global population, climbing incomes, rising urbanization and the associated increase in shares of food production of animal provenance and other water- intensive food products? What agricultural measures to increase water productivity are the most suitable for counteracting increasing exploitation of water resources for food production? To balance water demand for food production, an innovative method based on established standards is to be developed. The concept of Farm Water Productivity will be included too, in order to analyze and quantify measures serving to raise water productivity in plant production and livestock farming. The results will be included in a modeling system that shows the water fluxes within agricultural operation systems for food production, and considers soil water recharge as well. This makes it possible to calculate the water demand of various typical modes of alimentation based on literature research. Through the synergy of the hydrological and agronomical approaches, the project result - efficient water use at farms via the most suitable measures - presents an innovative possibility of adapting agricultural production to global changes, of counteracting increasing over-use and exploitation of water resources for food production, and of making sustainable management possible.

Funding

Grant agreement number

Funding

Funding framework

Pakt für Forschung und Innovation des BMBF