BIOM-LAND

The overall project goal is the realization of the BIOM-LAND Travelling Conference in Thailand and Vietnam on the topic “Potentials and challenges for the sustainable use of land areas and biomass in the emerging bioeconomies of Southeast Asia”. One of the primary challenges of the 21st century is the sustainable and environment-friendly supply of food, biobased materials and energy, eg photovoltaics. For the agricultural sector in particular, new approaches and concepts are required to support the increasing demand for food, fibre, feed and energy for a growing global population. These approaches must also acknowledge the necessity of sustaining ecological services that agricultural areas provide to humankind. As a result of the emerging bioeconomies however, an increase in demand for biomass is to be expected, as biomass is the essential resource for a bioeconomy. In Southeast Asia in particular, land-use systems need to be implemented to reduce competition between biomass production and photovoltaic systems.

The specific aims of the project are:

a) Organization and execution of the BIOM-LAND Travelling Conference at Naresuan University in Phitsanoluk, Thailand (NAR-TH) and National University of Agriculture in Hanoi, Vietnam (NUA-VN) with the German cooperation partners University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart - Department of Biobased Products and Energy Crops (UHOH-NAWARO) and Department of Plant Production in the Tropics and Subtropics (UHOH-TROP), Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems ISE, Freiburg (FRAUN-ISE), and The Agency for Sustainable Management of Agricultural Landscape (ANNA), Freiburg;

b) To set up a new scientific cooperation between NAR-TH, NUA-VN, UHOH-NAWARO/-TROP, FRAUN-ISE and ANNA as a preparatory step for the application of a common research proposal in the field of integrated agricultural systems, biobased materials and the efficient use of cropping land for agricultural and photovoltaic systems;

c) Extension of existing partnerships of UHOH-NAWARO/-TROP with the Centre for Agricultural Research and Ecological Studies, NUA-VN and the Department of Agriculture, NAR-TH;

d) Promotion of young German academics, especially UHOH-NAWARO and FRAUN-ISE, to strengthen their research profiles in accordance with their personal qualification aims (Habilitation, PhD).