Food Security Network

The Food Security Network, based at the University of Cologne, integrates CEPLAS' efforts into a broader societal context and promotes the transfer of knowledge between relevant disciplines.

Due to the ever-growing global population, climate change, limited global resources, and increasing water scarcity, achieving and maintaining global food security is one of the key challenges of our time. A crucial factor in achieving global food security is sufficient crop yields. However, many other factors beyond agricultural yields play a significant role. Sustainable production systems, support for small-scale farmers, reduction of rural poverty, and minimizing food waste contribute to achieving this goal, as do access to healthy food and the reduction of malnutrition in all its forms.

This complexity demonstrates that the issue of global food security can only be addressed through an interdisciplinary approach. Therefore, scientists from various fields such as life and natural sciences, humanities, economics, social sciences, and law collaborate within the Food Security Network. These broadly themed and interdisciplinary projects focus on promoting the transfer of knowledge between different disciplines and fostering cross-faculty research. To achieve this, participants from the Universities of Cologne, Düsseldorf, and other universities, as well as stakeholders from business, politics, and humanitarian organizations, are brought together on an international level. CEPLAS serves as a central hub, embedded and networked within the Food Security Network.

In addition to connecting scientists, the network also aims to raise public awareness of the diverse challenges surrounding global food security and bring these issues more into the socio-political spotlight. The goal is to spark interest among young researchers, students, and even schoolchildren in addressing these topics, empowering them to actively shape our future in this regard.

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Stanislav Kopriva, Botanical Institute
Coordinator: Dr. Dorit Grunewald, Botanical Institute