The next Studium Generale lecture will take place on 17 January 2017 at 7 pm on the Kleve campus, on the topic of ‘New approaches to sustainable livestock farming’. Attendance is free of charge.
Agriculture has traditionally played a prominent economic, social and cultural role in North Rhine-Westphalia. Livestock farming for food production has made a significant contribution to this. Over the past few decades, livestock farming has undergone a profound structural transformation, characterised by the consolidation of farms, specialisation in production and increasing herd sizes. In recent years, for example, in the dairy-intensive region around the district of Kleve, the number of cows per farm has risen steadily to well above the German national average.
However, there is growing public debate regarding the sustainability of established production systems in livestock farming. In particular, the use of scarce resources, nutrient leaching into the soil and groundwater, air emissions, the use of antibiotics and animal welfare have come under scrutiny.
In this lecture, Dr Franz-Josef Stork and Prof. Dr Steffi Wiedemann will highlight exemplary approaches from both academia and practice for a resource-efficient, environmentally sound and animal-friendly approach to livestock farming, with the aim of enabling the sustainable production of animal-based foods.
The lecture forms part of the Studium Generale programme. The lecture series is aimed at the general public, as well as students, lecturers and staff at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, and presents current topics in a way that is relevant to everyday life and informative. The series also offers the opportunity to engage with current issues. “We invite everyone, regardless of age, to attend these fascinating lectures,” says the university’s President, Dr Heide Naderer.
Attendance at the Studium Generale lectures at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences is free of charge for all members of the public.
