Oil and natural gas still account for the vast majority of the world's energy and raw materials, with all the associated environmental and biodiversity consequences. The bioeconomy is an approach to overcoming this dependence: instead of using fossil fuels, it uses renewable resources such as plants, microorganisms, and organic waste. The goal is for economic growth to go hand in hand with protecting species, the climate, and soils. The updated edition of the Global Bioeconomy Policy Report 2026, produced by the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB), has been launched in Dublin on 20 October. The Global South, in particular, is increasingly recognizing the bioeconomy as a sustainable and equitable economic model.

The RLC Campus at ZEF, University of Bonn, Germany, offers scholarships for PhD students from Africa, Asia and Latin America to participate in the Transdisciplinary RLC Workshop on “Sustainable Use and Conservation of Natural Resources”, December 1-2, 2026, in Bonn.

There are 10 PhD positions to be filled in the new DFG Research Training Group „Urban Future – managing transformations for a better health in blue cities“ (RTG 3204/1). 

ZEF hosted a Right Livelihood workshop this week (October 6-7, 2026) on Rural Development and Smallholder Agriculture.  Seventeen doctoral researchers presented and discussed their work with Dr. Maximilian Abouleish-Boes, Chief Sustainable Development Officer at SEKEM, Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, Egypt, an organization that obtained the Right Livelihood Award in 2003.

ZEF researchers have presented and discussed their research at the 8th African Conference of Agricultural Economists which was held in Nairobi, Kenya, September 22-25, 2026.

During the 8th African Conference of Agricultural Economists, which was held from September 22-25, 2026, in Nairobi, Kenya, ZEF Director Matin Qaim was recognized as Honorary Fellow of the African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).

On the occasion of the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, our senior researcher Tina Beuchelt joined a local event organized by the German Federal Association of Professional Shepherds.

At the annual Tropentag, which took place in Göttingen, Germany, September 16-18, 2026, around 15 ZEF researchers presented their work, moderated panels or gave talks.