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23138-01 - Lecture: Sustainable Plant Systems (2 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Every fall sem. |
| Lecturers | Klaus Schläppi (klaus.schlaeppi@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Future society has to feed nine billion people, therefore agriculture, food, waste and resource management have to go hand in hand toward the use of fewer resources and acceptance of the Planetary Boundaries. We will discuss current research in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The focus of the seminar will be on: (1) Research in agroecological systems. Can we transform the impact of agricultural in Switzerland and beyond? (2) Food system transformation. How can local sustainable food systems be built and scaled through policy strategies, food environments and consumer habits? The seminar will have (a) two face-to-face sessions, (b) self‐organized group work with case studies that will be analyized and results be presented, (c) participants will publish a report of their findings in the ETHZ-PSC Science and Policy Blog. Case studies (CS) will include: • CS 1: How can Swiss farmers move to zero environmental impact? • CS 2: What influence do the consumers in developed (importing) countries have on sustainability of (mainly) small-holder farming in the developing (sourcing) countries? • CS 3: Sensor based fertilization techniques at the filed for sustainability? • CS 4: The blessing and curse of nitrogen – transferring knowledge from Science to Society to create more awareness • CS 5: The transformation of the (urban) food systems and changing consumer food habits. |
| Learning objectives | Participants will be able to: (1) Review sustainability issues in the context of plant science research and literature on sustainable agriculture and the food system. (2) Analyze and interact on several case studies on agro-ecology and the food system. |
| Comments | Lecturers: Franz Bender (Agroscope), Frank Liebisch (Agroscope), Carole Epper (Agroscope), Melanie Paschke (ETHZ) |
| Weblink | http://www.plantsciences.uzh.ch |
| Admission requirements | For MSc and PhD students of ETH Zurich, University of Zurich and University of Basel. |
| Course application | In addition to the regular course registration in unibas online services, students are requested to register through the PSC course registration platform for this course (see weblink). The course registration will open on 1st July. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, optional |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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| Comments |
Dates: October 30, 2025 & December 03, 2025 Location: ETH Zürich Center TBA |
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Courses: Master's Studies Plant Science (Master's Studies: Plant Science (Start of studies before 01.08.2025)) Doctorate Botany: Recommendations (PhD subject: Botany) Module Specialisation: Molecular Biology (Master's Studies: Nanosciences) Module: Core Competences in Natural Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) Module: Courses for Master's Studies in Plant Science (Master's Studies: Plant Science) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Students will actively participate during the two afternoons with presentations on the second afternoon (8 hours). In between the participants will independently work on their group case and finish with a presentation and a report (52 hours). |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Science, studiendekanat-philnat@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Integrative Biologie |