Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

The use of biomass from plants as a renewable energy source is not new. Yet surprisingly, the net economic and environmental benefits of biomass energy exist only on paper. This is about to change thanks to an experimental tree plantation in East Flanders, where Professor Reinhart Ceulemans and his team are working to get the numbers needed for evidence-based decisions for future energy policies.

Almost 842 million people worldwide are chronically undernourished according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world faces huge challenges if it is to achieve food security for a global population predicted to reach 9 billion by 2050. With ERC help, Professor Malcolm Bennett of the UK’s University of Nottingham is trying to improve crop yields through better understanding of roots and the way they grow.

Rice, maize, soybeans and wheat are the main source of nutrients for over 2 billion people living in poor countries. But with climate change and the rising amount of CO2 in the air we breathe, their already low nutrient value compared to meat, for instance, is set to decrease.