Project
Title
Diversifying cropping systems for the One Health of soils, plants and humans
Acronym
DCropS4OneHealth-2
Start
01.08.2024
End
31.07.2027
Coordinating Institute
Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie e.V. (ATB)
Coordinator
Partner
European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Potsdam Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (PIK)
Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzenbiochemie
Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt für Tierzucht und Tierhaltung e.V.
Universität Potsdam
Project team ATB
Allocated to research program
Summary
The diversification of crop production systems in combination with a reduction in the use of agrochemicals and an increase in landscape complexity has the potential to promote biodiversity at the field and landscape scale and to have a positive impact on human health. The DCropS4OneHealth project aims to identify causal relationships in the field of agrobiodiversity, derive recommendations and implement measures in practice.
The following hypotheses will be tested along a causal chain: (1) Diversification of crop production systems increases biodiversity in the agricultural landscape in terms of soil and plant microbiome, vegetation and invertebrate fauna. (2) The increased diversity in crops, soil and plant microbiome, vegetation and invertebrate fauna has a positive impact on health-related properties of the food produced in terms of food microbiome and plant constituents. (3) These improved properties promote human health.
The consortium brings together scientists from different disciplines and practitioners. In the first phase, a diversification concept is created with and for a large farm, the methodology is specified and a transfer concept is developed. In the second phase, the crop diversification measures will be implemented on the farm, a large-scale on-farm experiment will be set up and the hypotheses formulated above will be investigated. In exchange with relevant stakeholders, recommendations on beneficial diversification measures and on how to unlock the benefits for biodiversity and human health will be derived and possibilities for their implementation in practice will be identified.
Funding
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
Funding agency
VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH
Grant agreement number
16LW0528K
Funding framework
Erforschung der Zusammenhänge zwischen Biodiversität und menschlicher Gesundheit. Ein Beitrag zur Forschungsinitiative zum Erhalt der Artenvielfalt