Resilient Cropping Systems

We are committed to researching and promoting sustainable agricultural production systems all over the world. We carry out activities that contribute to a better understanding and improvement of the sustainability of production systems in low-income countries. In particular, we seek to improve the resilience of production systems through climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and practices.

Our main activities include:

Strengthening resilience of agricultural systems – Using a farming systems approach, we evaluate organic farming systems in terms of their agronomic, socio-economic and ecological resilience and compare them with conventional practices. We conduct these studies on the fields of farmers as well as on our own long-term field trials in Africa and Asia, and link these activities with capacity building. Our approach is to intensify agro ecological processes to decrease input use and the environmental footprint. By focusing on the production system rather than on specific crops, we bring together a pioneering partnership of growers, agronomists, breeders and industry stakeholders.

Participatory development of technology for best practices – With the motto “for the farmer, with the farmer, by the farmer”, we consider it very important to use local knowledge in developing locally adapted solutions. Relying on participatory research methods, we involve farmers, local scientists, researchers, advisors and students in our project work. To find innovative sustainable solutions, we also actively collaborate and consult with policy and relevant sector stakeholders.

Capacity and institution building – We value customised training that is realised within partnerships ranging from local to international levels. Wherever possible, we support the institutional development of our partners with our work, as we are convinced that strong institutions are crucial for the further development of the organic sector. We provide technical advice based on demand on production and post-harvest practices, standards compliance, project implementation, etc.

Contact

Amritbir S. Riar