Starting the session, Ruben Kretzschmar talked about the „largest mass poisoning in human history“, the arsenic (As) crisis in Bangladesh. For Boro rice production, which makes up 50% of total, shallow ground water polluted with As is used for irrigation. The long-term study revealed an As input due to irrigation, on the other hand monsoon flooding that counteracts the As accumulation but does not prevent it. Thus current agricultural practices in rice production are not sustainable. Jan Jansa’s study subject was the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) symbiosis for maize in humid Cameroonian soil. AMF help the maize with nutrient acquisition, soil structure and soil biological activity. Soil of forest, short fallow and crop land was compared in regard to AMF. It revealed that the more intensified the practise, the higher the AMF impact on maize growth. Further, fungal communities in forest soil differed from other cropping systems and proved to be least beneficial to maize. Conservation agriculture of maize in salt-affected irrigation systems of Uzbekistan carries great potential to make a crop production system sustainable. Mina Dekota compared two tillage systems (permanent bed vs conventional tillage) and two residue levels (retained vs harvested). The results were remarkable: Compared to conventional tillage, the permanent bed had greater biomass production, higher grain yield, higher water productivity and lower soil salinity.

Using well recorded data of 42 years from a former cattle ranch at the coast of Tanzania, Peter J. Edwards showed impressively how farm management can influence a very fragile ecosystem. Changes in soil nutrient relationships and changes in vegetation mainly due to the grazing and the penetrating bush encroachment of Acacia zanzibarica were the result. Lutz Merbold’s case study in Miombo woodlands of Western Zambia unraveled the Charcoal Trap. An increase in energy demand and the migration of the people to the urban areas for employment call for an increased demand of charcoal since it has a higher energy density and is cheaper for transport. He concluded that the resulting increase of deforestation and thus additional carbon emissions are very large in developing countries. Depending on the resilience of woodlands, the lost carbon from forest degradation may be regained by reestablishment of forests and the consideration of alternative energy sources. The third talk took the audience to India’s coffee production. Virgine Boreux introduced the relationship between bee pollination of three main pollinators identified and the fruit set of coffee plantations. Pollination by bees has a long term impact extending until harvest. The study showed that the fewer sites that are flowering simultaneously, the higher bee abundance was found. In conclusion, irrigation triggering the flowering of the coffee could be used to attract bees. Thus asynchronous irrigation to the monsoon rains can be used in effective plantation management.

ADEBAYO ABRAHAM ADEWUMI: Lean Meat for the 21st Century: A Case Study of Emu Dromaius Novae Hollandiae [Le Souef 1907] The emu bird, only slightly smaller than the ostrich, is originally from Australia. It will grow up to two meters tall and weigh 60 kg. Its red meat is almost fat free, low in cholesterol and high in protein and iron. In the study, the meat of 16 emus was analyzed and compared to beef. Emu meat's cholesterol level is about 35% lower than that of beef. In regards to the total minerals there were no differences. Since consumers are looking for appetizing food and are increasingly basing their choice on fat, calories and cholesterol, Emu meat is the perfect choice. FOLUSHO UGWU: Complimentary Feeding Practices and Nutrient Intake of Children Aged 6-18 Months in Ebonyi State, South East Nigeria

Over a glass of wine and around a table is where bonds are usually established and ideas are born. The Canteen of the University of Zurich hosted the conference dinner of Tropentag 2010. After a full day of intensive discussions on the future of agriculture, food and nutrition, climate change and natural resources participants were able to enjoy a relaxing moment of interacting and networking. Yet another typical “Mensa-Food”: queues of people with trays on hand, three menus of Swiss beef with vegetables, a mushroom curry over couscous and an Asian Wok, all-year-round-salad and 3-CHF-beer marked this Tropentag’s culinary gathering. Food is what links us in Agricultural Sciences. The food we eat, how we eat it and where we source it from has an apparent effect on the ecosystems, the economies and culture somewhere in the world. A future challenge in combating world hunger, promoting food and nutrition security and food justice is to uphold some basic ethical principles of sustainability and implement them into science, education, agriculture, politics, industry, society as well as into our own eating habits. Whether it is in our personal lives or in our university canteens. Or is it something that can be forgotten over a glass of Calvados on the banks of Limmat?

SUSANNE UFER: The Impact of Rice and Maize Price Volatility on Farm Households’ Income and Consumption in Northern Vietnam Since world food prices were fluctuating massively between 2006 and 2009, there was the concern that the income of farmers’ households in developing countries would decrease highly. According to a study conducted in Northern Vietnam, there was only a moderate impact of rice and maize price changes on the net income in rural areas. TIMOTHY J. KRUPNIK: Adaptive On-farm Evaluation of Resource Conserving Rice Cultivation Practices in the Middle Senegal River Valley Because of sub-optimal rice production in Sahelia, three quarters of the rice consumed in the country is imported. According to this, it is very important, to re-define the rice cropping system to increase the productivity of Sahelian rice farmers. Research has shown that farmers appreciate new cropping systems, but the best results were achieved by combining different systems like the Adapted System of Rice Intensification (ASRI) as well as the recommended management practices with the farmers’ former cropping practices. A side note to Rice Research: Ubud Rice Farmer

This is a sample of some of the great mixed cropping, agroforestry and biofuels oral presentations at Tropentag Strategies to Use Biofuel Value Chain Potential in Sub-saharan Africa to Respond to Global Change Enhancing Low-productivity Farming in Tanzania and Linking to SMEs – Stefan Sieber Some of the most significant global drivers stem from energy demands. This study examined new strategies to improve value chains and biofuel potential in order to provide communities in Sub-Saharan Africa with multiple energy services. The study took place in Tanzania, however global applications of the findings was one of the overall objectives. One way to improve energy demands in developing countries is though linking small scale farmers with small- to medium-scale enterprises. This research project worked with stakeholders in order to develop feasible strategies to maximize profit. The output from this collaborative effort was the development of global scenarios (applications in other countries), biomass production, consumption patterns, as well as a participatory biomass value chain. The objective of the research was to conduct a sustainability impact analysis and an information system for policy/decision support.

Population worldwide is growing, which results in an increasing demand of irrigation and drinking water. During this early morning session solutions for some water management problems in developing countries were discussed. In East-Africa for instance, due to population growth, people are forced to extend agriculture from the high lands into wetlands, where the soil water availability is not constant. Beate Böhme presented that in inland valley wetlands the soil water availability is not very variable and thus very suitable for year-round production. Two other ways to ensure water availability for agriculture in the future are water storage and the use of un-treated wastewater for irrigation. Dr. Irit Eguavoen explained that water storage may be a good option in sub-Saharan Africa regarding climate change, but that the socio-economic impacts for the farmers are large and should taken into account. Phillip Weckenbrock did research in Pakistan to see if the negative image of the use of wastewater for irrigation is justified. He found that the use of wastewater is a very good option for farmers; the wastewater is cheaper to obtain than groundwater and using wastewater results in higher profits. Then Nilhari Neupane and Sisay Demeku Derib presented some local solutions to water scarcity. In Nepal modeling proved that water bargaining by the local population increases the benefits all around. In Ethiopia…

Bernhard Brümmer of Georg-August-Universität Göttingen opened the second-set of parallel oral presentations with a focus on market development. There were 4 oral presentations instead of the planned 6 covering rural market development-related topics within developing countries. Berhanu Gebremedhin: Crop-Livestock Interactions in Smallholders´ Market Participation in Ethiopia In this paper, he specifies that interdependence exists on both households´ net market positions (e.g. Net Buyer or Net Seller) for crops and livestock. He also showed that, crop purchases are financed by livestock (vice-versa) and excess income emanating from crop sale is converted into livestock asset. Additionally, he said that policies and strategies should pay attention to the simultaneous production and marketing of both crop and livestock commodities. Christina Handschuch: Adoption of food safety and quality standards among Chilean raspberry producers – Do smallholder benefit? Meike Wollni substitutes, and discuss their findings that small-scale farmers has a low likelihood of opting for certification whilst certified farmers would obtain better product quality having a positive relationship to their net household incomes. Also, it was suggested to extend support to small-scale farmers in implementation process, collective sharing of compliance costs, and access to information. Mildred Garcia: Third party socio-environmental certifications: A new perspective for small-scale coffee producers in Honduras?