Joint press release by the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Federal research centre for cultivated plants.
Extreme weather, fragile supply chains, and new pathogens pose growing challenges to food security. To develop resilient farming systems as the foundation for food and supply security, the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) and the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) are jointly establishing “FoodBase,” a nationwide network for agricultural and food research. With this new consortium, the partners are creating a coordinated scientific resource for policymakers and practitioners. The three-year development phase is funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) (BMLEH).
To date, research on agriculture and food in Germany has been scattered across numerous institutes and universities, a situation that the German Science Council analyzed in its 2024 Position paper and addressed with a recommendation for permanent research networks, known as “Food System Research Hubs.” FoodBase builds on this recommendation. The consortium aims to systematically share existing research infrastructures for the first time: from experimental plots, monitoring networks and research data infrastructures to Living Labs, as well as modeling and computing capacities.
“Sharing scientific infrastructure conserves resources and unlocks synergies that individual institutions cannot achieve on their own,” explains Prof. Dr. Frank Ordon, President of the JKI and co-spokesperson for FoodBase. “By linking data, models, and field trials, complex agricultural issues can be addressed in a much more well-founded and timely manner.”
Scientific Decision-Making Support in Times of Crisis
In the event of acute emergencies—such as geopolitically driven shortages of agricultural inputs or regional crop losses—FoodBase quickly provides decision-makers with data-driven analyses and action scenarios.
“With FoodBase, we aim to create a central hub that can quickly provide scientific expertise in the event of a crisis,” explains Prof. Dr. Frank Ewert, Scientific Director of ZALF and Co-Spokesperson for FoodBase. “When supply chains are disrupted or extreme weather threatens the harvest, we must be able to provide well-founded recommendations for action to policymakers and practitioners within a short time.”
Focus Areas: Resilient Farming Systems and Healthy Nutrition
The FoodBase consortium also addresses preventive issues in three complementary areas of work. The initial focus is on the further development of farming systems: By increasing the cultivation of native grain legumes and other protein crops, crop rotations are intended to become more climate-resilient and reduce dependence on imports. At the same time, FoodBase is researching integrated strategies to significantly reduce the use of synthetic chemical pesticides, including through resistant varieties, expanded crop rotations, and a deeper understanding of the plant microbiome. Finally, the third area of work analyzes the interface with consumers: It examines how balanced foods can remain available and affordable even during market disruptions, particularly for at-risk health groups.
The five cross-cutting themes breeding, value chains, digital innovations, system scenarios, and governance permeate these three areas of work and serve as their unifying element. They serve as the framework for FoodBase’s systemic approach, enable far-reaching integration and consideration of the topics across all areas of work, and thus lay the foundation for addressing complex, interdisciplinary challenges in agricultural and food systems.
Network Building and Participation
FoodBase is designed for long-term collaboration and is gradually incorporating additional partners from universities, government research institutions, and the applied research sector. An initial nationwide network meeting to present the working structures and pilot projects is scheduled for late 2026 in Bonn.
Project partners:
Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Quedlinburg
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg
Funding: FoodBase is funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) via the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) (grant number: [28DHU01A26]).
