BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Memento EPFL// BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Elucidating Sustainable Agroecosystems across Scales and Disciplin es for Food Security DTSTART:20131008T161500 DTEND:20131008T171500 DTSTAMP:20260406T102111Z UID:c54f3013ac33307c6f46b099f0dacc6e0e63bbf7b98eb1a897ef81f9 CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars DESCRIPTION:Prof. Johan Six\, Chair of Sustainable Agroecosystems\, Instit ute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS)\, ETH-Zurich\, CH\nAbstract:\nOne of th e greatest challenges facing humanity is to provide food security across t he world and in the long term. One of the prerequisites to tackle this gre at challenge is to understand how sustainable agroecosystems function. In my talk\, I will present how we have and hope to continue to elucidate the feedbacks between agroecosystem management options (e.g.\, tillage\, orga nic practices\, integrated soil fertility management\, etc.)\, global chan ge (e.g.\, elevated CO2 \, elevated O3\, and climate change)\, and carbon and nutrient cycling. I will make the argument\, based on some case studie s\, of how we need to conduct experimental work from the micro- to landsca pe scale over day to decadal times scales and subsequently integrate the e xperimental results within simulation models to interpolate and extrapolat e them to the regional and global scale over decadal to century-long time scales. Furthermore\, I will present some collaborative work on bio-econom ic modeling in order to holistically assess the sustainability of agricult ure. Finally\, I will present some case studies of how to bring our improv ed understanding into practice to ensure a better food security.Dr Johan S ix received his PhD in Soil Science in 1998 from Colorado State University . His PhD research was conducted at the Natural Resource Ecology Laborator y (NREL). His research focused on the mechanisms underlying greenhouse gas mitigation by no-tillage practices. Dr. Six remained as a Research Scient ist at NREL from 1998 until 2002. He led and was involved in many projects investigating the effect of land use change and management on greenhouse gas fluxes in agricultural\, grassland and forest ecosystems. At UCDavis\, Dr. Six has further developed this line of research with a focus on the f eedbacks between ecosystem management options (e.g.\, tillage\, cover crop ping\, green manuring\, sustainable farming\, and grazing)\, global change (e.g.\, elevated CO2 and climate change)\, and biogeochemical cycling. Mo re specifically\, he studies the complex interactions between soil (e.g\, structure\, texture and mineralogy)\, plants (e.g.\, diversity\, nutrient uptake\, and root growth)\, soil biota (e.g. fungi\, bacteria\, and earthw orms)\, and the carbon and nitrogen cycles in terrestrial ecosystems\, esp ecially agroecosystems. Hisgeneral approach is to conduct experimental wor k from the micro- to landscape scale and subsequently integrate it with mo deling to interpolate and extrapolate it to the regional and global scale. The modeling has also as goals to identify gaps in our knowledge\, genera te testable hypotheses\, and test the mechanistic bases of the models. Fur thermore\, bio-economic modeling is conducted in collaboration with econom ic and social scientist to holistically assess the sustainability of agric ulture. His project sites span from small growers’ fields to intensively -farmed production systems to agricultural research stations. We are invol ved in a suite of international research projects in Africa\, Europe\, the US\, and Central and South America.\nHe recently took up a chair position in Sustainable Agroecosystems at ETH-zurich\, where he will continue his research program developed at UCDavis\, but with more of an emphasis on la ndscape analyses and global Food Security.\nDr. Six is a Chancelor’s Fel low of the University of California – Davis and a Fellow of American Ass ociation for the Advancement of Science. LOCATION:GR A3 31 http://plan.epfl.ch/?room=GR%20A3%2031 STATUS:CONFIRMED END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR