The University of Kassel at Witzenhausen appoints the well-known specialist for organic farming, Urs Niggli, Honorary Professor. The University of Kassel Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences is located on the Witzenhausen campus, where it has 20 chairs in agricultural and nutritional sciences. The consequent orientation of the campus towards organic agriculture and towards the principles of sustainable resource use and nutrition makes Witzenhausen internationally unique and attracts students from all over the world. The newly appointed Honorary Professor Urs Niggli will lecture in the subject “Science Management in International Organic Agriculture” and in doing so will bring to the Faculty his extensive experience in the field of applied research, EU research cooperation and international agricultural research.
Today organic agriculture is facing major challenges, for which adequate solutions must be found. Hence food security, natural resource scarcity (land, water) and the threats to ecosystems (climate, biodiversity) are at the heart of international agricultural research. The research and teaching by the Honorary Chair in Science Management will tackle these new challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Urs Niggli’s lectures are not about conveying basic subject knowledge on the various themes, but about their integration and application. Of particular interest are the consequences for the practice, standards and legislation, institutions, research strategies and policies of organic farming. In this way insights are also provided for students into specific future applied occupational areas in the fields of research and consultancy.
In the last 20 years Urs Niggli has made the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) a leading global centre for organic farming. 170 scientists and consultants in Switzerland, Germany and Austria are working together on the advancement of organic farming. There has been close cooperation between FiBL and the University of Kassel Department of Organic Farming and Cropping Systems for 30 years.
Further information
- Prof. Dr. Urs Niggli, FiBL, urs.niggli(at)fibl.org, Tel. +41 (0)62 865-7270
- Prof. Dr. Michael Wachendorf, University of Kassel-Witzenhausen, Dekan, dekfb11(at)wiz.uni-kassel.de, Tel. +49 (0)5542 98-1211