Agenda (preliminary)

Day 1 - Agroecology of underutilised and indigenous crops

09:30–09:45 Welcome | Prof. Dr. Schneider, University of Hohenheim

09:45–10:00 Welcome | Prof. Dr. Christine Wieck, University of Hohenheim

10:00–11:00 Keynote Underutilised crops for the 21th century  

  • Using underutilised crops for food system resilience: from agroecology to human nutrition | Prof. Ndiko Ludidi, University of Mpumalanga

11:00–11:30 Coffee break

11:30–12:45 Parallel sessions contributed papers 

12:45–14:15 Lunch (Mensa)

14:15–15:45 Keynotes Crop diversity

  • From underutilised crop to arising agronomic importance: the examples of hemp and chickpea | Prof. Dr. Simone Graeff-Hoenninger, University of Hohenheim
  • From marginal to strategic: Climate-resilient production systems for indigenous and underutilised crops | Dr. Ethel Phiri, Stellenbosch University

16:00–17:00 Poster session 

17:00–18:00 Tour of the Botanical Garden of the University of Hohenheim | Dr. Robert Gliniars

18:00 Dinner at Garbe Biergarten (self-paying)


Day 2 - Underutilised crops and climate change adaptation

09:00–10:30 Keynotes Plant breeding and climate resilience 

  • Improving the potential of underutilised crops by plant breeding using quinoa and amaranth as examples | Prof. Dr. Karl Schmid, University of Hohenheim
  • The double role of underutilised crops for climate resilience and protein supply | Dr. Lembe S. Magwaza, Cranfield University

10:30–11:00 Parallel sessions contributed papers 

11:00–11:30 Coffee break

11:30–12:30 Keynotes by international organisations 

  • Global initiatives for crop diversity | Nico Wilms-Posen, Crop Trust
  • Nourishing Diversity: Unlocking the Nutritional Power of Opportunity Crops | Simone Welte, Welthungerhilfe 

12:30–14:00 Lunch (Mensa)

14:00–15:15 Parallel sessions contributed papers 

15:15–15:45 Coffee break

15:45–17:15 Poster Session 2

17:15–18:45 Visit of field experiments at the University of Hohenheim

19:00–22:00 Conference dinner, location (tbc)


Day 3 - Creating value chains for underutilised crops

09:00–10:30 Keynotes Market challenges and innovations 

  • Market challenges for niche products | Prof. Dr. Sebastian Hess, University of Hohenheim
  • Food innovations and consumer acceptance of underutilised crops | Prof. Unathi Kolanisi, University of Zululand

10:30–11:00 Parallel sessions contributed papers 

11:00–11:30 Coffee break

11:30–13:00 Poster Session 

13:00-13:30 Closing Session

13:30–14:00 Lunch box to go, departure

14:00–19:00 Excursion to organic farms producing and marketing underutilised crops
(e.g. organic farm of the Gansloser family, Scharenstetten)