The first ZNE Conference on “Sustainability Assessment of Agrifood Systems”
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| Image: I. Solovieva | Image: I. Solovieva | Image: R. Horvath |
The ZNE Conference on “Sustainability Assessment of Agrifood Systems” took place at the Justus Liebig University Giessen on the 20th and the 21st of November 2025.
The conference provided valuable opportunities for interdisciplinary debate between JLU researchers and invited scientists from research institutions in Germany and other countries.
Conference Highlights
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| Images: I. Solovieva |
Inspiring Keynotes:
- of Dr. Vanessa Zeller (TU Darmstadt) on Life Cycle Assessment of Biobased Systems: Robust Quantification or Sustainability Claims?
- of Prof. Dr. Christian Herzig (JLU Giessen) on Research on Sustainability Assessment of Agrifood Systems – Some Critical Reflections from a Sustainability Science Perspective
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| Images: I. Solovieva |
Multidisciplinary Parallel Sessions:
- Collaborative decision-making on the assessment of circular cattle farming systems organised by Dr. Lisa Petzold, Institute for Landscape Ecology and Resource Management, JLU Giessen
- Shifting Perspectives on Sustainability: Integrating Diverse Knowledges in Agrifood Systems Assessment organised by Dr. Aspasia Werner and Prof. Dr. Gudrun Keding, Chair of International Food Security, ZNE, JLU Giessen
- Co-design of new sustainability assessment approaches for farms and food systems (living labs) organised by Prof. Dr. Christian Herzig, Chair of Business Administration in Food Economics and Agribusiness, ZNE, JLU Giessen
- Nutritional medicine for understanding and treating gastroenterological diseases organised by Prof. Dr. Elke Roeb, Chair of Gastroenterology, ZNE, JLU Giessen
- Animal welfare assessment and valuation in the context of sustainable dairy systems organised by Viola Schevel, Chair of Business Administration in Food Economics and Agribusiness, JLU Giessen
- Sustainability assessment in healthcare organised by Prof. Dr. Ulrike Gish, Chair of Nutritional Psychology, ZNE, JLU Giessen
- Valuing biodiversity in agrifood systems: Economic approaches and emerging methods organised by Marielle Rüppel, Chair of Business Administration in Food Economics and Agribusiness, JLU Giessen
- Multidimensional assessment in agrifood systems. From sustainable farming practices to agroecology organised by Dr. Niether Wiebke, Chair of Organic Farming, and Dr. Irina Solovieva, ZNE, JLU Giessen
- Implementation of and critical analysis of the true cost accounting organised by Corinna Ullrich, Chair of Agricultural and Food Market Analysis, JLU Giessen
- Towards Net Zero farming: Sustainability assessment of annual and perennial crop innovations in farming systems organised by Prof. John Clifton-Brown, Chair of Crop Biomass and Bioresources, ZNE, JLU Giessen
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| Image: I. Solovieva | Image: I. Solovieva | Image: W. Niether |
Acknowledgements:
The conference was organised with the financial support of the Faculty for Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences and Environmental Management of the JLU Giessen and of the Hessian Ministry for Science and Research, Art and Culture (Hessisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Forschung, Kunst und Kultur HMWK).