Research

Areas of Research

The Departments belonging to the Centre for International Rural Development pursue a variety of objectives. The research conducted by them is, accordingly, of great diversity. The Centre strives for inter-disciplinary integration of its research programmes along with its mandate. Priority is given to research on sustainable resource use in rural tropical and subtropical areas. The Centre primarly supports inter-disciplinary research projects.

Current Research Projects (Selection)

Further Research is carried out on:

  • Water management, rural engineering, soil protection, ecophysics;
  • Post-harvest technology, processing, use and recycling of organic materials, technology of sustainable energy, non-chemical weed control;
  • "Evergreen crop rotations" for soil protection and prevention of nutrient loss, comprehensive use of crops (food, sustainable raw materials, nitrogen cycle);
  • Complex production systems in the Tropics and Subtropics, yield stability, salt tolerance, crop diversity, bio-indicators of sustainability;
  • Organic farming, compost technology, nutritive substance mobilization and cycles, nutrition ecology;
  • Socio-cultural factors in rural development;
  • The impact of social and institutional settings on the use of sustainable rural resources;
  • Inter-cultural communication/communication of (expert) knowledge;
  • Participatory approaches to research, planning and extension in rural development;
  • Agricultural policy parameters of rural resource use and of technology development and their sustainability;
  • Breeding of appropriate animal species, use of animals in environmental protection;
  • Farming System Research (FSR).