title: World hunger versus biodiversity: transformation approaches towards a sustainable agricultural system
creator: Kellermann, Laura
subject: ddc-570
subject: 570 Life sciences
subject: ddc-580
subject: 580 Botanical sciences
description: Biodiversity loss threatens ecosystems worldwide through increasing habitat destruction, pollution and climate change, posing significant challenges to human well-being and ecological stability. As primary producers, plants form the foundation of ecosystems, sustaining countless life forms and providing essential ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, soil stabilization and nutrient cycling. Plant biodiversity therefore holds immense potential for addressing these pressing global challenges. As agriculture accounts for around half of the total land area in Germany, it has great potential to mitigate many of the problems threatening the world's population. Especially nitrogen cycles and land use change, as well as the preservation of genetic and functional biodiversity, can be influenced by adapting the way in which land is farmed. Recognizing the opportunities offered by agriculture led to the implementation of the "Organic from Baden-Württemberg" action plan and also gave rise to the project AgroBioDiv as part of the Organic Farming research programme initiated by the state government in 2020. Within my study, I analysed how different forms of cultivation affect biodiversity in the arable landscape and how a transformation towards more sustainable, biodiverse agriculture can be guided and promoted. To this end, we carried out vegetation surveys of the arable weed flora on fields from organic farms, three farming communities practicing intermediate forms of agriculture, as well as purely conventionally farmed fields in 2021 and 2022. Based on the analysis of the species richness (Shannon Index) of the arable flora and the yield of the cultivated crops, I analysed the different cultivation methods comparatively, taking into account environmental parameters such as precipitation and temperature, location and soil conditions. The analyses revealed a significantly higher species diversity for organic cultivation compared to all other cultivation methods. However, even not organically certified fields, on which the use of chemicals was temporarily avoided, achieved significantly higher values than those on which pesticides were used. The strong influences of weather conditions, especially drought, and soil quality on weed biodiversity and yield emphasize the importance of climate-resilient crops. A much smaller influence on the number of species found on each field had the mechanical weed control and the study design influenced factors such as the height of the crop at the time of vegetation mapping.   My study contributes to a more holistic understanding of the complex dynamics shaping arable flora in Baden-Württemberg, providing a foundation for evidence-based conservation and land management strategies in the face of evolving environmental challenges. I propose to tailor specific protection measures to the unique needs of different landscapes and agricultural contexts within Baden-Württemberg to balance the imperative of ensuring food security and sustainability with the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.
date: 2024
type: Dissertation
type: info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis
type: NonPeerReviewed
format: application/pdf
identifier: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserverhttps://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/34868/1/Doktorarbeit_LK.pdf
identifier: DOI:10.11588/heidok.00034868
identifier: urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-348683
identifier:   Kellermann, Laura  (2024) World hunger versus biodiversity: transformation approaches towards a sustainable agricultural system.  [Dissertation]     
relation: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/34868/
rights: info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights: http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/help/license_urhg.html
language: eng