LASER Talks in Zurich | Leonardo/ISASTwith Arizona State University

LASER Talks in Zurich

The power of voice! ICT for Agroecology: new model for knowledge generation and sharing

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CHAIRS: Prof. Dr. Jill Scott and Dr. Boris Magrini

This LASER ZURICH and WWF collaboration will feature an artist and a scientist who will present their thoughts on this exciting and controversial topic. Dr. Eugenio Tisselli (Mexican-Italian Media Artist) and Bernadette Oehen (Botanist, MAS ETHZ. FiBL-Department of Socio-Economic Sciences). The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Angelika Hillbeck (Agroecologist from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Department of Institute of Integrative Biology, Zurich)

ABSTRACT:

What is the impact of sharing information about species and pollinator depletion in agro-ecology? How can technology help change farmer’s behavior and empower them with a voice? How can we help to make learning a community activity?

In the past 50 years of agricultural development, our agricultural environments have been adapted to produce only a few varieties of commodity crops that are traded globally: maize, soybean, rice, wheat and barley. The loss of adaptation to local growing conditions goes along with escalating use of fertilizers and pesticides, like insecticides and herbicides. Today, new strategies to increase species diversity, like pollinators, and natural enemies, and crop diversity are essential for plant protection but also for the production of diverse and nutritious food. This must include farmers and their involvement in breeding, seed sharing and crop production research but also the raising of awareness of the consumers to add value to food diversity. In order to implement these strategies, transdisciplinary methodologies that combine scientific knowledge with artistic and socially engaged practices can be of great value. In this talk, we will explore the impact that communal processes of exchange, sharing and mutual learning of agricultural information can have on agroecology and insect populations, as well as the livelihoods of farmers. We will also present practical case studies that illustrate how information and communications technologies (ICT) can amplify such processes, and help farmers make their voices heard.

BIOGRAPHIES: 

Bernadette Oehen
Bernadette Oehen, a former WWF campaigner, is a Botanist and expert in organic farming, who teaches at the ETHz. She works at the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FIBL) Department of Socio-Economic- Sciences. Her research focus is agrobiodiversity and food. Currently, she is working for the EU funded project DIVERSIFOOD about diversity on the field and diversity on the plate. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bernadette_Oehenhttp://www.fibl.org/en/team/oehen-bernadette-en.html 

Eugenio Tisselli
Eugenio Tisselli is a media artist and programmer. He is the director of ojoVoz, a sociotechnical platform for the collaborative creation of community memories. He is currently a post-doc researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ). http://ojovoz.net 

Angelika Hilbeck is a senior scientist and lecturer at the Institute of Integrative Biology at ETH Zurich. Her research centers around agroecology and biosafety issues of GMOs. Through numerous research and capacity building projects she is engaged in several developing countries and works with UN, governmental and non-governmental organizations. Her work is embedded in broader issues of technology development towards a democratically legitimated, sustainable global future and actively contributes to the debate on biosafety, international agriculture, hunger and poverty alleviation. http://www.peg.ethz.ch/people/person-detail.html?persid=95380

 

Dinner reservation send an email to adriana.puente@wwf.ch

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND MAPS PLEASE VISIT OUR WEB SITE:

WWW.LASERZURICH.COM
Contact for this event: International Volunteers WWF www.wwf.ch

Anna.Billeter@wwf.ch (Responsible: Communities of Volunteers)
+41 44 297 21 21 Contact Email: jscott@solnet.ch   Contact Phones: 0041 (0)795249211

SPONSORS:

http://learningdesign.zhdk.ch/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/zhdk_logo_lehre.pngailWorld Wildlife Fund Switzerland

LASER (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous) Talks is Leonardo's international program of evening gatherings that bring artists and scientists together for informal presentations and conversations. LASER Talks were founded in 2008 by Bay Area LASER Chair Piero Scaruffi and are in over 30 cities around the world. To learn more about how our LASER Hosts and to visit a LASER near you please visit our website

The mission of the LASERs is to provide the general public with a snapshot of the cultural environment of a region and to foster interdisciplinary networking.

When
January 16th, 2018 from  6:30 PM to  8:00 PM
Location
Hohlstrasse 110
World Wildlife Fund Volunteers
ZH 8010
Switzerland
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Contact
Phone: 0041 (0)795249211