Sustainability and resilience
We regard the sustainable development of rural areas and agriculture as the only possible response to global change and the corresponding challenges. In this way, we relate our work to a number of the UN's formulated goals for sustainable development (SDG):
A fundamental approach to achieve the second goal, "No Hunger", is to promote sustainable agriculture. A further key aspect of our work is the protection and sustainable use of soil and land as mentioned in Goal 15 "Life on Land" and the observance of internationally valid rules for environmental protection as required in Goal 12 "Sustainable Consumption and Production". Further priorities of our work are the more intensive use of renewable energies as mentioned in Goal 7 "Affordable and clean energy" as well as the reduction of and adaptation to climate change (Goal 13).
How these aims are operationalised is again reflected in our projects, which deal with questions of sustainability assessment, social change processes (transition) or approaches to achieving greater resilience in rural areas. "Resilience" describes the ability of social, economic and environmental systems to cope with a critical event or trend or a disruption (based on the IPCC 2014).
Contact person at IfLS: Simone Sterly (sterly[at]ifls.de, 069/9726683-15) and Dr. Ulrich Gehrlein (gehrlein[at]ifls.de, 069/9726683-17)