Future events
- 2026-04-23T13:30:00+02:00
- 2026-04-23T14:30:00+02:00
23
ThursdayPublic lecture: Does transdisciplinary research actually work?
Transdisciplinary research is widely advocated as an approach to address complex sustainability challenges. Yet it has rarely been evaluated whether participants actually learn, change their practices, or benefit from the collaboration. This talk presents a framework for evaluating collaborative learning processes from the perspective of societal stakeholders —i.e. smallholder dairy farmers in Nakuru County, Kenya. Drawing on a two-year collaborative learning process aimed at co-developing innovations to reduce milk losses, I integrate Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation scheme with second-order cybernetics and organizational learning theory (Learning Loops) to assess: what farmers found useful about the process, what they learned, how their new knowledge translated into changed practices, and what concrete benefits they experienced. Results show that farmers engaged in single-, double-, and triple-loop learning, with an average increase in milk production of 80% across both groups.
- 2026-04-23T16:00:00+02:00
- 2026-04-23T17:00:00+02:00
23
ThursdayINTERFACES colloquium Strengthening rice farmers' resilience
In Senegal, agricultural production is affected by increasing land degradation – i.e. in the Senegal River valley, an important rice-growing area. The main causes are deforestation, overgrazing, the abandonment of sustainable agricultural practices, and the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The Farmer Field School approach integrated the System of Rice Intensification and involved training producers. This was followed by a comparative analysis of the effects of traditional practices on rice production and sustainable land management. Subsequently, the most effective and sustainable practices were identified and promoted. In a context of climate change, land degradation, and declining yields, SRI appears to be a promising farming practice for sustainable land management, improved natural resource management, and enhanced resilience of family farms. Join via zoom! (See link below)
- 2026-04-29T10:00:00+02:00
- 2026-04-29T11:00:00+02:00
29
WednesdayPublic lecture: Rice Innovation for Food Systems Transformation
This ZEF public lecture will present the International Rice Research Institute’s 2025–2030 Strategy, which sets a clear direction for transforming rice-based agri-food systems toward a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive future. The strategy repositions IRRI – an international research for development organization credited for spurring the Green Revolution in rice-based systems in the 1960s in Asia - as a demand-driven and impact-oriented organization that integrates science, partnerships, and delivery to address country-specific needs across Asia and Africa. The lecture will highlight how IRRI is evolving its research and partnership model to become more integrated, agile, and collaborative in response to a rapidly changing global landscape. It will also explore the role of strategic partnerships, data and digital innovation, and South–South collaboration in scaling solutions and accelerating food systems transformation.