FELD 1/2025

PROF. FRANK EWERT talks about ZALF in the desert, LAND-INNOVATION-LAUSITZ, and Lusatia as a model region. A scientist and a farmer join forces to sing the praises of the queen of forage crops. Selected plants are intended to provide food for humans and animals as well as enable efficient use of energy and fiber. Using algorithms, drones, satellites, and other technology, researchers want to put together the Lusatia landscape puzzle. If the researchers at ZALF have their way, truffles will soon be known and loved as the black gold of Lusatia.

Leibniz Centre for

Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) Eberswalder Straße 84 15374 Müncheberg T +49 33432 82 200 F +49 33432 82 223 Executive Board Prof. Dr. Frank Ewert (Scientific Director) Martin Jank (Administrative Director) Photo Credits Title: Leibniz-IGZ / 02: Sascha Thor, BTU / 04, 06, 09, 10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19 left, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34, 36, 38, 39: Elke Thiele, ZALF / 11 left: Katharina Richter / 11 right: Bernd Starick / 19 right: Herman Dauser / 22, 24, 25, 26: Beak Consultants, GFZ / 27 left: Timo Kledtke / 27 middle and right: Luise Mösle If you would like to subscribe to this magazine free of charge, please send an e-mail with the subject line FELD and your contact information to: feld@zalf.de. Public Relations Hendrik Schneider public.relations@zalf.de T +49 33432 82 242 Editor Elke Thiele (CvD) Editorial Staff Jörg Staude, Heike Holdinghausen, Luise Mösle, Elke Thiele, Dr. Luise Porst, Dr. Thomas Maurer, Oksana Razladova, Tom Baumeister This magazine was printed on 100% recycled paper. © ZALF 2025 www.zalf.de zalf-leibniz @zalf.bsky.social @ZALF_leibniz@wisskomm.social www.land-innovation-lausitz.de land-innovation-lausitz @lilausitz.bsky.social Layout Hannes Schulze (Nur Mut) www.quer-feld-ein.blog querfeldein.blog Infographic Pia Bublies 40

Mission of the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) is to deliver solutions for an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable agriculture—together with society. As a contribution to overcoming global challenges such as climate change, food security, biodiversity conservation and resource scarcity, we develop and design crop systems, integrated in their landscape contexts, that combine food security with sustainability. The work of the research centre orients itself along four dimensions: LAND USE AND GOVERNANCE How can we sustainably develop and shape intensively used agricultural landscapes? AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE SYSTEMS What will future agricultural landscapes look like? LANDSCAPE FUNCTIONING How do agricultural landscapes function? SIMULATION AND DATA SCIENCE How can we generate and analyze landscape data and make it available for research? A novel research infrastructure provides the necessary interdisciplinary excellence: COMPUTATION AND DATA SERVICE PLATFORM EXPERIMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE PLATFORM