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

September 16 - 18, 2026
organised by
Universities of Kassel and Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

 

 

 

Title of presentation: Managing Soil Fertility in Africa – why, where, how, and by whom? (abstract)

 

Eric Smaling (1957) is a specialist on integrated soil fertility management in Africa. He has a PhD from Wageningen University, The Netherlands and was also a full professor there and at ITC/University of Twente. He also served as a member of parliament in The Netherlands for 10 years. Currently he manages development programs in Africa for IFDC, and runs a foundation in Kenya (www.rarevrienden.org).

 

Title of presentation: tbc

 

Serena Ferrari is a socio economist at the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD). She specialises in the field of pastoralism and value chain approaches, focusing on the impact that value chains have on a given (agro)pastoralist territory, particularly in terms of sustainable development, livelihoods, and reducing inequalities. She is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title of presentation: Living with forests: insights from the past into land ‘use’ for climate resilient ecosystems and futures (abstract)

 

As Director of the Department of Coevolution of Land Use and Urbanisation, Patrick is committed to pioneering and applying multidisciplinary approaches to studying long-term relationships of our species and the Earth system, including research across the latitudinal tropics. This includes combining state-of-the-art approaches in field- and lab-based archaeological science, remote sensing, palaeoecology, history, computational archaeology, and land use modelling. In 2021, Patrick was awarded the Heinz Maier Leibniz Prize, the top award for early career investigators in Germany and the first time that it has been awarded to an archaeologist and in 2024, he received the Thuringian Research Prize from the Thuringian Ministry of Economics, Science, and Digital Society for fundamental research. As part of his aims to make his work accessible to the public, Patrick also wrote the popular book ‘Jungle: How Tropical Forests Shaped the World and Us’ published by Penguin/Viking Random House in 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title of presentation: Transforming Asia’s rice systems: Integrated pathways to climate-resilient, low-emission, and inclusive futures (abstract)

 

Alice Laborte is a Geospatial Scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), where she leads the Digital and Spatial Landscape Transformation Research Unit and coordinates IRRI’s research program in the Philippines. She applies geospatial technologies, systems modelling and digital solutions to improve understanding and decision-making in rice-based agricultural systems.

She works with research, government, and development partners to shape strategies that respond to national priorities and the interconnected challenges of climate change, food security, and sustainable resource use. She has also played a key role in developing and institutionalizing national platforms for rice mapping and monitoring, pest surveillance, and climate-informed decision support in the Philippines. Her work helps translate scientific evidence into better-targeted innovations and policies that support farmers and decision-makers across the agricultural sector.

She holds a PhD in Production Ecology and Resource Conservation from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, a Master of Geographic Information Systems from the University of Queensland in Australia, and a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title of presentation: Multifunctional landscapes for climate-resilient futures: Connecting food, nature, livelihoods and governance at scale (abstract)

 

Lulseged Tamene Desta (PhD) is Director of Multifunctional Landscapes CGIAR Science Program, based at the ILRI Campus in Nairobi, Kenya. A landscape ecologist, by training, his work is driven by a long-standing interest in how land, water, people, and ecosystems interact across scales.

He began his career at Mekelle University in Ethiopia, teaching Geography, Land Use Planning, GIS, Remote Sensing, and Agro-Climatology. Early in his career, he worked with the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn on the GLOWA-Volta initiative, examining how competing water demands can be managed more sustainably in West Africa.

From 2009 to 2025, Lulseged worked with CIAT and later the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, where he led and co-developed large, multi-country initiatives. He is particularly motivated by action-oriented research that translates science into practice, including ecological intensification, landscape restoration, and land-use planning that balances production, conservation, and restoration goals. His work combines systems thinking with strong spatial analysis to support evidence-based decision-making.

Beyond research, Lulseged has played senior leadership roles across CGIAR. He values collaboration and mentored farmers, extension professionals, students, and early career scientists. He is widely recognized for bringing together interdisciplinary teams to contribute towards a common goal.

Outside work, he enjoys watching football and spending time observing and appreciating nature.