Future-Ready Food Systems? Sustainability and Resilience in Times of Crises

In the current era of multiple crises such as climate change, receding drinkable ground water pools, and geopolitical upheavals threatens food supplies, the rethinking of agri-food systems – encompassing the steps of producing, processing, and distributing food from farms to consumers – is especially urgent. How can we deal with shocks to the food system in the wake of natural disasters and climate changes? What are potential pathways to global food security? How can both environmental and social resilience be ensured? What role do smart digital technologies play in advancing the sustainability of food systems?

Join us for a discussion with experts from both sides of the Atlantic as they compare approaches across continents, spotlight potential synergies and tensions between resilience and sustainability objectives, and explore how research-informed innovation can inspire agri-food systems that are able to navigate today’s world’s challenges.

This talk features insights from the priority program 2575 of the German Research Foundation (DFG) “Sustainability and Resilience of Agri-Food Chains in Times of Multiple Crises? Towards a Joint and Critical Understanding (Agri-Food Chains).” It also incorporates findings by leading research universities of the “U15 Canada” consortium. It seeks to contribute to the overarching global conversation on achieving the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), especially those related to zero hunger, climate action, as well as sustainable production and consumption.

Dr. Peter Dannenberg is Professor of Human Geography at the Institute of Geography at the University of Cologne and the coordinator of the DFG Priority Program 2575 Agri-Food Chains. Dannenberg is a project leader at the corporate research center 228 Future Rural Africa and an international expert on economic geography, globalization and rural development. His current research includes agricultural value chains, infrastructures, and spatial economic policies. Dannenberg is a principal investigator in the Key Profile Area “Global South Studies” of the University of Cologne and the GEOVERBUND ABC/J.

Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughn has served as a Professor, Graduate Chair, Department Head, and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the Department of Soil Science in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources (AgBio) at University of Saskatchewan, Canada, over the course of her academic career, taking up the position of Dean in summer 2020, and renewing for a second term in 2025. As a teacher-scholar, Dr. Bedard-Haughn’s research program focuses on wetland soils and predictive soil mapping. Her activities have been largely supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Research Fund, Environment Canada, and several industry groups. She remains active in experiential training, mentoring graduate students and teaching field courses on soil and landscape classification, at both undergraduate and graduate levels.