Tropentag 2026:

General information

The annual interdisciplinary conference on research in tropical and subtropical agriculture, natural resource management and rural development (Tropentag) is jointly organised by the universities of Berlin, Bonn, Göttingen, Hohenheim, Kassel-Witzenhausen, ZALF e.V. (all Germany), Ghent University (Belgium), Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (Czech Republic), BOKU Vienna (Austria), and the Council for Tropical and Subtropical Research (ATSAF e.V.) in co-operation with the GIZ Fund International Agricultural Research (FIA).

Tropentag 2026 (TT26) will be organised as a hybrid event by Universities of Göttingen and Kassel, Germany, in cooperation with ATSAF e.V.

We will have an in-person conference, but all oral presentation sessions will be streamed live via our conference app. There will also be in-person poster presentation sessions, pre-conference workshops, and special online presentation sessions.
The call for oral and poster abstracts will start early March; nominating for pre-conference workshops will also be possible.

Preliminary overview of the TT26 program:

• Day 1 (Tuesday, Sept 15th) – Pre-conference Workshops
• Day 2 (Wednesday, Sept 16th) – Pre-conference workshops, Opening (1 pm CEST), Keynote session, fiat panis session, Parallel thematic oral sessions, Apéro social evening
• Day 3 (Thursday, Sept 17th) – Poster and online sessions, Parallel thematic oral sessions, Conference dinner
• Day 4 (Friday, Sept 18th) – Poster and online sessions, Plenary keynote session, Closing (around 2 pm CEST)

The organisers will ensure that TT26 attendees can interact with the presenters, chairs- and participants. All MSc and PhD students, scientists, extension workers, decision-makers and policy-makers interested in natural resources management, agricultural research, and rural development in transition and developing countries are cordially invited to attend and actively contribute. We encourage early stage researchers (MSc and PhD students) to participate.

Target of the conference

The Tropentag is a development-oriented trans- and interdisciplinary conference. Following the long tradition of Tropentag, we want to encourage participants of TT26 to explore the conference's overarching aim of exploring opportunities for managing natural resources sustainably and improving the quality of life for all individuals and communities.
TT26 addresses broad issues of transformation in agriculture and agroecology, livestock, food sovereignty, forestry, water and environment, socio-ecology, gender equality, and related social sciences in the context of rural development, sustainable natural resources management, and poverty alleviation worldwide.

The Tropentag 2026 conference theme

Towards multi-functional agro-ecosystems promoting climate-resilient futures

Agriculture is at the center of global land‑use change, shaping rural livelihoods, food systems, and environmental sustainability. As population growth, urbanisation, and accelerating climate change inten-sify pressure on land and natural resources, balancing agricultural development with planetary health has become increasingly urgent. Reconciling land‑system change with planetary health requires ensuring that agricultural expansion, intensification, and transformation support food security and eco-nomic development while safeguarding soil fertility, water resources, and ecosystem functions.

TT2026 will examine how agriculture, forestry, and land‑use systems in the Global South can contribute to a sustainable future amid rapid environmental and social change. The conference will highlight interdisciplinary research on multifunctional systems that integrate ecological, economic, and social dimensions.

Discussions will address strategies to strengthen resilience in farming and forest landscapes, promote biodiversity‑based and climate‑smart production systems, and advance sustainable value chains that benefit both people and ecosystems. In the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, particular attention will be given to the ecosystem functions of extensive pasture‑based livestock systems.

Participants will explore how innovation, knowledge exchange, and inclusive governance can foster multifunctional agro‑ecosystems that enhance food security, build climate resilience, and support global sustainability goals. Emphasis will be placed on equitable partnerships and the essential role of local communities in shaping pathways toward sustainable, multifunctional landscapes.

Key thematic areas include:

1. Resilient crop, livestock and agroforestry systems: Integrating crops, livestock and trees to build resilient, multifunctional landscapes. Harnessing the value of extensive and mobile livestock systems. Exploring innovations in agro-ecological and agro-silvo-pastoral systems.
2. Climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation: Climate change poses enormous challenges to agricultural and food systems, impacting crop productivity, altering land use dynamics, and requiring effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. Showcase the use of data, theory and models, through applied studies, model development, data-driven approaches and data-model integration. Deepen understanding of climate change impacts on diverse agro-ecosystems and on the interactions between impacts, adaptation & mitigation responses.
3. Food systems, nutrition & livelihoods: Building nutrition-sensitive and fair food systems that improve dietary quality, local value addition, and rural incomes. Examining sustainability and equity along tropical agricultural value chains.
4. Markets, governance & policy innovation: Understanding the socio-economic transformation of tropical landscapes. Designing governance mechanisms, investment strategies, and policy frameworks that protect landscape multifunctionality, promote sustainable land use and equitable resource access.
5. Soil, water & biodiversity: Strengthening soil fertility, water management, and agricultural biodiversity. Applying nature-based solutions for soil conservation, water retention, and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes.
6. Technology, data & knowledge systems: Applying digital tools, remote sensing, modelling, and artificial intelligence to monitor land-use change and guide decision-making. Strengthening participatory research and education networks between Global South and North.

Keynote speakers

The following keynote speakers have confirmed their participation:

• Prof. Eric M.A. Smaling, Wageningen University & Research / International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), The Netherlands


• Dr. Alice Laborte, International Rice Research Institute (IRR), Los Banos, Philippines


• Dr. Serena Ferrari, CIRAD / UMR Selmet, Addis Abeba, Ethiopa


• Prof. Dr. Patrick Roberts, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany

Foundation fiat panis award session

On the occasion of this conference a special session will be devoted to the presentation of the "Hans H. Ruthenberg-Graduate-Award" and the " Hermann Eiselen-Science Award 2026" by the Foundation fiat panis, Ulm.

Oral and poster presentations

The oral presentations of the Tropentag 2026 will be organised in four sessions, with each six parallel thematic groups.
Posters will be presented in parallel guided poster sessions (in-person) on Thursday September 17 between 08:30 and 10:00 h, and between 17:15 and 18:45 h, as well as on Friday September 18 between 09:00 and 10:30 h.
Parallel to the in-person poster sessions, special online-only presentation sessions will be organised.
The exact time frame of these sessions will be communicated after selection of the submitted abstracts. Abstracts can be submitted until 24 April 2026 via our submission portal.

Pre- and post-conference workshops

Organise your own Workshop

We offer you the opportunity to organise your own workshop, tailored to your target audience. The idea is that you organise a workshops around the thematic areas of the TT 2026 and/or focus on capacity building. The only condition is that your topic should be related to tropical agriculture in a broader sense. The workshops will take place on Tuesday September 15, 2026 from 13:00 to 18:00 h, or Wednesday September 16, from 08:30 to 11:30 h. or Friday September 18 from 15:00 to 18:00 h.

If you are interested you need to apply and describe the aim and topic of the workshop using the following template. Fill in the template and send it to infotropentag.de no later than 3 May, 2026.

You will receive your application feedback by June 10th. In case of approval, details such as room allocation, and further logistics will be discussed individually with the Tropentag organisers.

The complete workshop plan with contact addresses will be made available on our website.

Conference fee

Especially for a hybrid Tropentag conference, registration fees are required to pay for software and the organisation of the sessions. For those attending in-person, the fee includes a conference bag, and refreshments during the conference breaks. The fee does not include accommodation, lunches or the conference dinner. In-person participants can purchase the book of abstracts for fifteen euros. The conference fee and payment conditions can be found here.

Organising committee of the Tropentag 2026 conference

• Prof. Dr. Reimund P. Rötter
  University of Göttingen, Tropical Plant Production and Agricultural Systems Modelling, Göttingen, Germany
• Prof. Dr. Eva Schlecht
  Universities of Göttingen and Kassel, Animal Husbandry in the Tropics and Subtropics Witzenhausen, Germany

• Prof. Dr. Andreas Bürkert, University of Kassel
• Prof. Dr. Liesbeth Colen, University of Göttingen
• Dr. Kira Fastner, University of Kassel
• Prof. Dr. Oliver Hensel, University of Kassel
• Dr. Christian Hülsebusch, DITSL Witzenhausen
• Prof. Dr. Christoph Kleinn, University of Göttingen
• PD Dr. Regina Rößler, University of Kassel
• Dr. Lilly Scheiterle, DITSL Witzenhausen
• PD Dr. Martin Wiehle, University of Kassel
• Prof. Dr. Meike Wollni, University of Göttingen

• Dr. Simone Pfeiffer
  University of Göttingen, Center of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, Germany
  Contact: Send Email

• dr. ir. Eric Tielkes
  DITSL Witzenhausen, Germany
Contact: info@tropentag.de