25th Conference of the Working Group Sustainability / Soilprotection of the Working Community of the Danube Regions Small-Scale Food Production Systems: Innovations for Healthy Soils & People 24th and 25th of April 2018 in Tulln

Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People

Small-scale food production systems are increasingly attracting the attention of producers, consumers and scientists as a possible solution to the manifold ecological and economic dilemma of agriculture and food supply in a world with an ever increasing population. Such systems typically involve intense labour and aim at high and diverse productivity on small pieces of land. Small-scale food production has been employed in weak economies (subsitence agriculture) for meeting the own demands of food, and more recently becomes popular as an alternative to conventional food supply systems for citizen and entrepreneurs also in wealthy regions, e.g. the "market gardener" company based in Canada. While this approach appears promising for meeting the increasing demand for high quality and quantity of food supply under different economic and social settings, in-depth evaluation of their sustainability is yet required. This includes various dimensions such as the origin, rate and quality of energy, organic matter, nutrient and water inputs, as well as the economic viability and implications for food security and safety if small-scale food production is to become a substantial contributor to food supply. This conference brings together practitioners, experts, scientists and students from the Danube region and other parts of the world to demonstrate and discuss the opportunities and challenges for sustainable soil use and food production in small-scale systems.

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Download List of Participants

Download Presentations:

ARGE Donauländer WG Sustainability Steiner/Szlezak

Organizers:
Working Group Sustainability / Soilprotection of the Working Community of the Danube Regions,
Soil and Sustainable Operations Network (SONDAR), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU)
and the Authority of Land Reform of Lower Austria
in Cooperation with
the Network of Life Science Universities (CASEE), Healthacross, Foundation for Farming
and Klima- und Energie- Modellregion Wagram

Pictures © NÖ Agrarbezirksbehörde, Fachabteilung Landentwicklung

Pictures 24.4.2018