XV European Society for Agronomy Congress

The main challenge for the agriculture and food sector is to provide nutritious food for the world’s population whilst conserving natural resources. There is an increasingly broad consensus that agriculture and food systems need to be transformed in a way that they simultaneously provide adequate nutrition for all, minimize negative impact on ecosystems and human health and improve livelihoods and resilience whilst being economically viable (CNS-FAO, 2016).

These important issues will be addressed at the XV Congress of the ESA. The congress will offer a broad base of sessions related to crop physiology, cropping systems, farming systems and value chains. It is organized by four Swiss institutions involved in agricultural research (Agroscope, ETH Zurich, FiBL Switzerland and the Swiss Society of Agronomy) and it is open to scientists, professionals and students interested to discuss the scientific advances and possible practical applications.

Located in the center of Europe, Geneva hosts many international organizations. It offers all facilities for an international meeting, including a congress center and an international airport. Nevertheless, Geneva remains a small town with a nearby countryside. It provides a favorable environment for fruitful exchanges and interesting field trips. Changins/Nyon, a main research center of Agroscope, is only 25 km away.

On behalf of the organizing committee, I look forward to welcoming you in Geneva in August 2018. Together we can contribute to the improvement of our cropping and farming systems allowing them to better meet the societal challenges of the 21st century.

Dr. Christoph Carlen, president of the organizing committee