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Joint weekend retreat with IPPAE program partners from Hohenheim
May 2026
From 8 to 10 May 2026, IPPAE scholarship holders from the universities of Gießen and Hohenheim, together with programme directors Prof. Martin Petrick and Prof. Regina Birner, attended a three-day retreat at the beautiful “International Forum Burg Liebenzell” in the northern Black Forest. The event aimed at using the synergies from the cooperation between the two universities more intensely and enabling networking activities among the IPPAE PhD students from both universities.
The event combined an intensive professional exchange and capacity building sessions with leisure activities and social networking. Through specialized lectures and working groups on topics such as writing research papers, artificial intelligence in academia and ethics in research, the participants received professional and methodological training and received input on career-related skills like project- and time management, networking and research funding.
The novelty about this year’s retreat was that it involved the PhD students in the design and implementation of one of the central panels - the pitching platform, where the students were able to choose the topic and the format to present a particular research challenge they face, get feedback from their peers and provoke a discussion on common challenges. The Alumni sessions with Dr. Andres Suarez from Colombia and Dr. Sandhya Kumar from India were also highly valued, offering real-life reflections on transitioning from doctoral studies to professional careers.
Above all, a major strength of the retreat was the opportunity it provided for participants to connect with peers from the partner university and exchange experiences across disciplines and research topics. For example, one participant noted that the retreat provided “the ability to genuinely connect with other PhD students,” while another highlighted the value of “exchange, connection, and networking with colleagues from the University of Giessen.” With joint activities such as forest walk and table tennis, participants considered the retreat as very successful and stressed how they benefited from the balance between academic discussions, informal interaction, networking opportunities, and social activities.
We would like to thank the DAAD for their financial support, and all the participants, speakers and staff members, who helped to make the retreat such a successful and enriching experience.
Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) 2026 - Students attend global conference in Berlin
January 2026
From 14–17 January, an excursion to the annual Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) in Berlin took place. Students, including several IPPAE scholars, attended a range of interesting presentations and current discussions on the topic of water in agriculture. The highlight of the excursion was the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference, which concluded with a declaration stating that agriculture needs sufficient water in order to sustainably strengthen food security. At the same time, agriculture was described as a major water user and therefore an important lever for making water use more sustainable and resilient.
In addition to gaining a detailed insight into the global water situation, the IPPAE students also had the opportunity to explore Berlin on Saturday. They visited downtown Berlin and several well-known sights in the city.
Reflecting on the excursion, IPPAE scholarship holder Kaka Soyunmyradov noted that the strong focus on water and its role in agriculture made the forum particularly relevant: In connection with his ongoing research on water management in Turkmenistan, the discussions and presentations provided first-hand insights. Overall, the excursion was perceived as a valuable experience that combined academic content with practical perspectives. The student added: “I would definitely recommend the GFFA to future students, as it offers valuable knowledge, inspiration, and the opportunity to engage with current global challenges.”
GFFA 2026 Brandenburger Tor, Photos: Kaka Soyunmyradov
Strengthening Intercultural Communication Competence
December 2025
As an established part of the IPPAE program, the 3-day „Introductory Workshop to Intercultural Communication“, led by expert trainer Alexia Petersen, provided students with theoretical insights and practical skills in intercultural negotiation and systematic problem solving. By getting to know tools like „Cross-Cultural Conflict Mapping“, participants learned to identify potential culture-based risks in international workspaces and to implement corrective and preventive action planning. Key focus areas included managing culturally diverse concepts of “face,” addressing hidden conflicts, and adapting leadership approaches to multicultural contexts.
These competencies are essential in an international program like IPPAE, which brings together people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. Overall, students expressed strong satisfaction with the workshop, praising its clear organisation, engaging delivery, practical relevance, and the valuable skills and insights they gained.
Fieldwork impressions from our current scholarship holders - Opening of IPPAE photo exhibition
November 2025
On November 6th, the IPPAE program representatives officially opened a photo exhibition, which displays the beauty but also the everyday human concerns of the fieldwork environment of our PhD students Akansha Mishra from India on “Tea time eating practices among the middle income population in Delhi, India” and Dieu-Merci Akonkwa Nyamuhirwa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo on “Women empowerment, crop diversification and nutrition nexus in the Atlantique department, Benin”.
After welcoming words by IPPAE program director Prof. Dr. Martin Petrick, the exhibition started with a tour along the impactful pictures where the artist-scholars Dieu-Merci Akonkwa Nyamuhirwa and Akansha Mishra took the audience behind the scenes of their fieldwork and shared their experiences and unique impressions from Benin and India, respectively. The opportunity to discuss the provided insights, as well as methodology choices and first fieldwork findings, were equally well appreciated. Overall, the opening was a successful event, stimulating though processes and fruitful discussions in a relaxing atmosphere.
The photo exhibition is a good opportunity to reach an audience also outside of our IPPAE community and to appreciate the great work of our scholarship holders.
All photos above: Benjamin Staudenmaier
STSM of Ifeoluwa Abulude with Fundació Espigolandors aimed at quantifying and reducing on-farm food loss
September 2025
IPPAE Deep Dive session with Alumni Dr. Archana Sathyan
July 2025
During the Deep Dive session, Dr. Archana Sathyan discussed her professional experiences, the connections between her PhD studies and her subsequent career path, and her current projects and activities at KAU. Additionally, Dr. Sathyan addressed personal topics of interest to our current scholarship holders, such as balancing family life with a PhD program, establishing a positive relationship with a supervisor, and collaborative projects between universities, including KAU and JLU.
IPPAE enjoyed an interesting full-day excursion to the dripstone cave “Autumn Labyrinth” and the city of Herborn
June 2025
On Saturday, June 28, 2025, the IPPAE PhD students from Giessen, along with the program representatives, embarked on a full-day excursion to the “Autumn Labyrinth” dripstone cave and the city of Herborn. The purpose of the trip was twofold: to further strengthen the cooperation among those involved in the program and to become more familiar with the unique characteristics of the Giessen area. The first highlight of the day was visiting the largest cave in Hesse: the participants were impressed by the rock formations and stalactites that formed over unimaginable time scales. The guided tour provided valuable and unique insights into the cave’s geology and formation. After the cave tour, the group's cultural interests were catered to with a guided city tour in Herborn. The entertaining tour presented the city’s historical stories and landmarks, and the participants enjoyed the city’s charm and surprising stories. As the temperature approached 30°C, the successful day concluded with a gathering at a local restaurant, where the program partners enjoyed food and refreshing drinks.
All photos above: Benjamin Staudenmaier
Workshop for Mental Clarity and Decision-Making in Academia
November 2024
Dr. Vicent Botella-Soler (who we could also refer to as "al" of Dickerson et al.) was our guest and speaker on 23 November 2024 for a highly essential and stimulating topic: how does our brain work and how does it affect our ability to make good decisions? We greatly enjoyed discussing good decisions in different contexts and across cultures, cognitive biases, and finding out what each one of us can do to keep a cool head in heated situations. Equally important and entertaining was to structure and visualize our problems and goals. Moreover, it was surprising for many of us to see that luck and not one's personal skill is decisive in large application processes. Often, we realized, it is smarter to refrain from over-optimize our project/application/paper/etc. and invest our time and energy more efficiently. All in all, we have learned many valuable lessons in the interactive workshop that will surely be present for a long time.
IPPAE Deep Dive session: The career path of Dr. Simon Kariuki Gicheha after his PhD in Giessen
November 2024
On 07 November 2024, IPPAE Giessen welcomed Dr Simon Kariuki Gicheha, Program Officer at the International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED) in Kenya, within an IPPAE Deep Dive session designed to facilitating exchange between current scholars and IPPAE alumni. Simon Gicheha received a PhD from JLU Giessen in 2022. At ICED he is now serving as the Regional Hub Manager for the Future Innovation Lab for Legumes Systems Research in East & Southern Africa. In his talk he presented linkages between his PhD work and his further career path, gave insights into his current work tasks and responsibilities at ICED but also shared lessons learnt from his PhD experience and offered advice and recommendations to the current doctoral students.
IPPAE scholarship holders enjoyed a full day excursion with program partners from Hohenheim
September 2024
On Saturday, 21 September 2024 the IPPAE PhD students from Giessen and Hohenheim together with the program representatives went on a full day excursion to the beautiful city of Heidelberg. The idea behind this side trip was on the one hand to further strenghten the cooperation between those who are involved in the program and to offer the opportunity for professional and informal exchange and networking amongst the participants. On the other hand the excursion also served the educational character of the program and passed on specialist expertise and know-how. A guided tour and visit of the farm "Gemüsekultur Heidelberg" was the first highlight of the trip and provided valuable and unique insights into the cultivation methods of vegetables of the farm, marketing channels used to promote their products and principles and standards of the business. Following the farm visit the cultural interests of the group were served by a guided tour through the Castle of Heidelberg, in which the historical story of the castle over the last few centuries was presented and the participants enjoyed an impressive view over the city. The successful day was rounded off with a get together in a beer garden where the program partners enjoyed food and drinks in a relaxed atmosphere and used the time for network conversations and informal exchange.
Tropentag Conference 2024 - IPPAE scholarship holders present their research work and benefit from networking opportunities
September 2024
The interdisciplinary conference on research in tropical and subtropical agriculture, natural resource management and rural development (TROPENTAG) took place in Vienna from 11 – 13 September 2024. The thought-provoking theme of this year’s Tropentag conference was “Explore opportunities… for managing natural resources and a better life for all”. A better life for all can (only) be facilitated by many transformations across systems/disciplines (e.g. agroecology, livestock management, food sovereignty, sustainable water management, climate change resilience, intersectional perspectives in natural resources governance, social and technological innovations, etc.). In this light, the conference promoted a comprehensive understanding of natural resource management. IPPAE scholarship holders Ifeoluwa Abulude, Alexander Cano, Denis Soldera, Manale Embiyale, Charity Masole and Alisher Kosimov were able to present and discuss their own research in an interdisciplinary setting, as well as to gain new insights into other projects and see how they contribute to improving natural resource management. The conference highlighted, among other things, how combining scientific knowledge with local practices leads to sustainable food systems, and that sustainable resource management cannot overlook the socio-political dimension of gender and intersectionality. Clearly, climate change urgently requires the exploration of natural resource management opportunities, while consistently balancing environmental protection and agricultural development.
Overall, Tropentag 2024 provided an excellent platform for networking, learning, and also exchanging ideas on how science can collectively address pressing global issues.
IPPAE receives interesting insights at "Biolandhof Klein & Biogas GmbH"
July 2024
On 17th July 2024, the IPPAE scholars, IPPAE director Prof. Dr. Martin Petrick, IPPAE coordinator Dr. Nadia Keudel and the IPPAE administrative assistants visited the “Biolandhof Klein Biogas GmbH” near Leun. Mr Klein, whose son is the main manager, introduced us to the 100ha farm, which has been Bioland certified since 1986. The group enjoyed seeing the sucklers cows and their calves grazing, the spacious cattle shed and how wheat is grown using only mechanical pest control. Mr. Klein also proudly presented the biogas plant (runs with feed remains, silage and solid manure of the own and other farms), which is a relatively new addition to the farm, having been built in 2012/2013. It was interesting to hear about the reasons for building a biogas plant to diversify the farm’s income. The farm - we were told - may continue to transition away from agricultural production and focus more on energy production in the future. The trip was also memorable for the chaotic and long journey to the rural region by public transport and taxis.
All photos above: Benjamin Staudenmaier
IPPAE Deep Dive - Alumni Prof. Dr. Johnny Mugisha presents his work and achievements
June 2024
EAAE PhD Workshop in Budapest - IPPAE scholars present their research work and benefit from feedback and networking opportunities with other agricultural economists
June 2024
The 10th PhD Workshop of the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) took place in Budapest from 5 to 7 June 2024. Our IPPAE scholars Akonkwa Nyamuhirwa Dieu-Merci, Mustafa Nasiri, and Titilayo Oyeronke Akinwehinmi presented their research in progress in a conference setting and received valuable feedback from leading agricultural economists and peers. There were also many opportunities to meet other PhD students studying in Europe and to make contacts for future collaborations.
Akonkwa presented a flash paper on “Women's empowerment, crop diversity, and women's nutrition: Insights from rural households in Benin". Mustafa presented a discussion paper on “Consumers’ preferences for meat attributes and their attitude towards meat attachment in Afghanistan”. Titilayo presented a discussion paper on “Consumers’ Attitude and Willingness to Pay for Genetically Engineered Food in Nigeria”.
Overall, the 10th EAAE Workshop was quite satisfying both academically and socially. Our IPPAE scholars had very constructive interactions with senior agricultural economists and other PhD students from different European universities. The social event to explore the tourist side of Budapest and have fun was also very much appreciated.
Fieldwork impressions from our current scholarship holders -
Opening of IPPAE photo exhibition
November 2023
On November, 29th the IPPAE program representatives officially opened a photo exhibition, which displays the beauty but also the everyday human concerns of the fieldwork environment of the IPPAE PhD students Evi Mariana from Indonesia and Alexander Cano from Colombia.
The exhibition started with a tour along the impactful pictures where the artists took the audience behind the scenes of their photo creation and fieldwork and shared their experiences and unique impressions from their countries of origin.
The photo exhibition should mark the beginning of a series of poster exhibitions that change every year and are showing the research work (in pictures) from current IPPAE doctoral students. The opening was a successful prelude, stimulating though processes and fruitful discussions in a relaxing atmosphere.
Here you can take a virtual look at the fantastic poster exhibitions in PDF format.
A healthier approach to research: Workshop on Resilience & Well-being in Academia was valued very positively by all participants
November 2023
From November 6th to 7th, the IPPAE program offered a two-day workshop on Resilience & Wellbeing in Academia. Led by trainer Desiree Dickerson, a former postdoctoral researcher in the neurosciences and a clinical psychologist, the course provided participants with cognitive strategies, work habits and practices to improve their well-being & performance.
Desiree Dickerson adressed self-sabotating thought processes that underlie perfectionism, imposter syndrome or worry and demonstrated how to reframe them, identified maladaptive coping strategies (e.g. avoidance and procrastination) and showed more effective (and healthier) alternatives. Furthermore participants learned to shift their mindset in order to create more mental space and energy to think, to create, to be present, and to thrive.
IPPAE Deep Dive session with Dr Khin Mar Cho
October 2023
On 26 October 2023, IPPAE Giessen welcomed Dr Khin Mar Cho, Cornell University, New York City, USA,within an IPPAE Deep Dive session designed to facilitating exchange between current scholars and IPPAE alumni. Khin received a PhD from JLU Giessen in 2003, sponsored by the DAAD scholarship programme (which at that time was not called IPPAE yet). Her presentation focused on “Food Systems Transformation through Sustainable Production and Consumption”. Equally well received were her insights on a healthy work-life balance.
Tropentag Conference 2023 - IPPAE scholarship holders present their research work and take part in a post-workshop conference on decolonising methods in fieldwork-based socio-economic research
September 2023
This year the annual interdisciplinary conference on research in tropical and subtropical agriculture, natural resource management and rural development (TROPENTAG) took place on September 20 - 22, 2023 in Berlin. The conference theme was “ Competing pathways for equitable food systems transformation: trade-offs and synergies ”. Once again, the conference presented a strategic platform for our IPPAE members’ network to showcase their ongoing research to the scientific world.
Furthermore the conference offered the opportunity to on the one hand follow the plenary talks by representatives of different governmental and non-governmental society and on the other hand to meet and discuss with the leaders and/or representatives of numerous organisations funding and organising research on tropical agriculture such as the IFPRI, or the CIAT-CGIAR.
Another highlight was the post-workshop conference on Decolonising methods in fieldwork-based socio-economic research which was organized by IPPAE program managers and Prof. Toyin Kolawole from the Okavango Research Institute, University of Botswana. Within this workshop IPPAE scholarship holders among others shared their experiences and reflected on their previous field work within the context of decolonising methods. They highlighted the contradiction between research interests as academicians and real world problems that study subjects are often confronted with. The necessity to consider indigenous knowledge and appreciate its contribution to the disseminated knowledge instead of misappropriation of the totality or part of knowledge was also indicated.
Empowering Intercultural Competence: IPPAE Course on Intercultural Communication was a great success
June 2023
From June 13th to 15th, the IPPAE program had it’s highly anticipated Intercultural Communication Course in Giessen. Led by expert trainer Alexia Petersen, the three-day workshop provided participants with essential skills in cross-cultural negotiation and conflict management. Attendees, mainly including IPPAE students, gained valuable insights for self-regulated cultural learning and enhancing intercultural competence in diverse environments.
A balanced course concept between theory and practice established on the one hand a theoretical knowledge foundation through getting participants acquainted with the Integrated Systems Model of Cultural Logic (ISMCL) as a method of culture learning. On the other hand, the workshop emphasized the application of the learned skills and a direct knowledge transfer to the personal working context of the participants by using case studies.
The course received positive feedback, reinforcing its role in equipping individuals with the necessary tools to thrive in today's multicultural world.
IPPAE Guided City Tour through the Historical part of Giessen
March 2023
It was an exciting experience for international IPPAE students, accompanied by the IPPAE director Prof. Dr. Martin Petrick and the IPPAE coordinator Dr. Nadia Keudel. The tour, which was led by Mrs. Petra Bröckmann started with a climbing competition to the top of Old Castle (Altes Schloss). Later this was followed by visiting the oldest building in Giessen known as the Lion’s Tavern (Gasthaus zum Löwen), located in the middle of town.
The end of this tour was highlighted by visiting Armoury (Zeughaus), situated next to the New Castle, which was originally built as a military building (arms cache). The tour was concluded by a visit to an artwork of Swiss artists, something that has now become a trend in Giessen.
Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) 2023 - IPPAE PhD candidates attend the conference in Berlin, Germany
January 2023
In January 2023 some of the IPPAE PhD candidates together with the director of the IPPAE program, Professor Martin Petrick, took the opportunity to visit the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) held in Berlin. The GFFA is an international conference on central issues of vital importance for global agricultural and food policies. This year’s theme was Food Systems Transformation: A Global Response to Multiple Crises. Exhibitions, expert panels, including high-level debates were part of the three-day event. Several dignitaries, including Parliamentary State Secretary Ophelia Nick and Federal Ministers of Agriculture attended the impact-driven event.
The IPPAE students benefited from attending various high-level expert panels on topics such as:
- Investing in local farmers’ solutions to address global food system challenges. Facilitated by the World Farmers Organisation (WFO), Andreas Hermes
- Food systems in crises – solution for more resilience. Facilitated by World food (WFP)
- Data and Digital as Enabler for Circular Agri-Food Systems and Agriculture in the "New Normal": Future-proofing food systems for a changing world
- Linking Indigenous knowledge with transformation processes of sustainable food systems – concepts and examples. Facilitator: WelthungerhiIfe Humboldt University of Berlin, Leibniz Centre for agricultural landscape research (ZALF) e.V.
During the concurrent expert plan, the tea breaks provided an opportunity for networking and initiating contact that could be critical for current and future agricultural and research collaborations.
“GFFA 2023 was an excellent opportunity to acknowledge, at once, the views of entrepreneurs, academia, International Organisations, and governments of different regions on the current challenges concerning our food systems. Also, it was a chance to understand how these sectors perceive the problem and propose solutions. I also seize the opportunity to network in the innovation forum,” said Denis Soldera (IPPAE PhD student since 2021).
IPPAE Program visits Documenta in Kassel
September 2022
A visit to the Documenta Fifteen Art Exhibition, which took place in Kassel on September 6, 2022, was the first joint IPPAE activity to bring together all new IPPAE scholars. Within the city, there were various exhibition locations that covered five main topics. The IPPAE students visited the Documenta Halle (curated by Britto Arts Trust) under the topic “Agriculture and Development” (AGRI). This topic is centred around agriculture, land use and forestry. The students also visited the Fridericianum (curated by Asia Art Archive (AAA)) under the “Art-Science – People intersection/interaction” (ASI). ASI illustrated how people and science interact and how such interaction affects development. The exhibition illustrated how ungrateful people have been to things that are unique to their origins, which was the exhibition's main lesson for scholars from the global south.
A joint reflection of the event revealed that it is “intriguing to learn that people share different impressions, perceptions and thoughts despite participating in similar events. Overall, a variety of impressions, views, and questions were prompted by the exhibition. Giving answers to these kinds of inquiries may, in principle, open the door to long-lasting change. Here, the exhibition could serve as a reminder of the need to start bridging the knowledge-practice gap”.
IPPAE graduate selected as a DAAD Research Ambassador
October 2022
The IPPAE graduate Dr. Archana Raghavan Sathyan, who is now working as an Assistant Professor at the Kerala Agricultural University in India, was selected and appointed by the DAAD as a Research Ambassador for a duration of three years from 2022 to 2025.
DAAD Research Ambassadors are academicians and scientists who have a long standing relationship with Germany and are interested in promoting Germany as a destination for higher learning and scientific cooperation by sharing their experience, mentoring students and colleagues. As established members of the academic/scientific community they help inspire their colleagues and students to consider Germany as a partner in their work or as a destination for study or research by answering their questions and by organising events on and off campus.
Archana went through the IPPAE programme - which is funded by the DAAD - at Justus Liebig University Giessen from 2015 to 2019. She is looking forward to her new tasks as a DAAD Research Ambassdor and also expresses her gratitude to the IPPAE programme: „Thank you IPPAE for contributing immensely to my professional growth and development“.
The IPPAE members want to congratulate Archana on this great success!
Joint weekend retreat with IPPAE program partners from Hohenheim
20-22 May 2022
From 20 to 22 May 2022 the IPPAE scholarship holders from Giessen and Hohenheim together with the program directors Prof. Regina Birner and Prof. Martin Petrick attended a three-day retreat in the beautiful Taunus region. The event aimed at using the synergies from the cooperation more intensely and enabling networking activities among the IPPAE PhD students from both universities. It combined an intensive professional exchange with leisure elements and social networking, including also the family members of the IPPAEs. Through specialized lectures and working groups on topics such as science methodology and academic policy advice, the students received professional and methodological training and were taught in career-related management skills like time management and mental health. Rounded off with joint activities such as hiking and BBQ, participants considered it a complete success and stressed how they benefited from the exchange and networking among each other. We kindly acknowledge the financial support by DAAD.
