Sustainable food production
Project Info
- Title: Sustainable food production and consumption
- Registration Number: -
- Project Provider: Czech Academy of Sciences - Strategie AV21
- Years: 2025–2029
Project Partners (all are institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
- Institute of Microbiology – Centrum Algatech (vedoucí partner)
- Institute of Biophysics
- Biology center
- Institute of Sociology
- Institute of Experimental Botany
- Institute of Geonics
- Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals
- Institute of Scientific Instruments
- Global Change Research Institute
Project Leader for MBÚ AV ČR Třeboň
Prof. RNDr. Ondřej Prášil, CSc.
Main Objective of the Project
The main objective of the research programme is to link institutes of the CAS, universities and businesses in a wide range of areas from food production and consumption to the associated social and health impacts. The project has significant application potential, using the existing infrastructure of application laboratories to address new challenges. Advice to the professional and lay public, provision of expertise and consultation, and collaboration with government, politicians, media and professional organisations are integral parts of the project.
Project Description
We will refine long-term scenarios and short-term predictions of climate change impacts on agriculture and communicate them to the public. We want to explore new ways of increasing soil organic matter. We will also focus on analysing the soil microbiome and environmental conditions that affect it. We plan to develop and apply molecular genetic sequencing and editing methods to enhance the performance and resilience of crops and microorganisms. We will investigate the molecular mechanisms of biotic and abiotic stresses on plants. To accelerate and automate the selection of plant strains and microorganisms with desired traits, we want to develop new methods for phenotyping photosynthetic organisms. We will focus on research on the impact of food on the gut microbiome and human health. We will address contamination of food, especially fish, with organic pollutants and microplastics. At a societal level, we will explore the role of subsistence farming for sustainable food production, food waste and ethical food consumption.
