Future-Ready Food Systems? Sustainability and Resilience in Times of Crises
As the current era of multiple crises such as climate change, receding drinkable ground water pools, and geopolitical upheavals threatens food supplies, the rethinking of agri-food systems – encompassing the steps of producing, processing, and distributing food from farms to consumers – is especially urgent. How can we deal with shocks to the food system in the wake of natural disasters and climate changes? What are potential pathways to global food security? How can both environmental and social resilience be ensured? What role do smart digital technologies play in advancing the sustainability of food systems?
Join us for a discussion with experts from both sides of the Atlantic as they compare approaches across continents, spotlight potential synergies and tensions between resilience and sustainability objectives, and explore how research-informed innovation can inspire agri-food systems that are able to navigate today’s world’s challenges.
This talk features insights from the priority program 2575 of the German Research Foundation (DFG) “Sustainability and Resilience of Agri-Food Chains in Times of Multiple Crises? Towards a Joint and Critical Understanding (Agri-Food Chains)”. It also incorporates findings by leading research universities of the “U15 Canada” consortium. It seeks to contribute to the overarching global conversation on achieving the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), especially those related to zero hunger, climate action, as well as sustainable production and consumption.
Transatlantic Tandem Talk – Future-Ready Food Systems? Sustainability & Resilience in Critical Times
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Event Information
October 29, 2025, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Online
Organizer(s): University of Cologne New York Office, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York, German Embassy in Washington D.C., Deutsches Haus at NYU, DAAD North America, German Research Foundation (DFG) North America, German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York, 1014 Space for Ideas, Goethe Institute New York, AmerikaHaus NRW, American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, American Council on Germany (ACG)
Our Experts:
Dr. Peter Dannenberg is Professor of Human Geography at the Institute of Geography at the University of Cologne and the coordinator of the DFG Priority Program 2575 Agri-Food Chains. Dannenberg is a project leader at the corporate research center 228 Future Rural Africa and an international expert on economic geography, globalization and rural development. His current research includes agricultural value chains, infrastructures, and spatial economic policies. Dannenberg is a principal investigator in the Key Profile Area “Global South Studies” of the University of Cologne and the GEOVERBUND ABC/J.Dr. Peter Dannenberg, Professor of Human Geography at the Institute of Geography at the University of Cologne
Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughn has served as a Professor, Graduate Chair, Department Head, and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the Department of Soil Science in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources (AgBio) at University of Saskatchewan, Canada, over the course of her academic career, taking up the position of Dean in summer 2020, and renewing for a second term in 2025. As a teacher-scholar, Dr. Bedard-Haughn’s research program focuses on wetland soils and predictive soil mapping. Her activities have been largely supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Research Fund, Environment Canada, and several industry groups. She remains active in experiential training, mentoring graduate students and teaching field courses on soil and landscape classification, at both undergraduate and graduate levels.Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughn, PhD, PAg Dean and Professor, College of Agriculture and Bioresources
Welcoming Remarks by:
Dr. Eva Bosbach is the Executive Director of the University of Cologne New York Office. Born in Prague, she received both her master’s and Ph.D. degree from the University of Cologne. Prior to coming to New York, she was Program Manager at the German Rectors’ Conference in Bonn, Germany, and is author of several comparative studies about doctoral education and the humanities in Germany and the U.S. Dr. Bosbach was awarded NYC Council and NY State Assembly Honorary Citations in 2017 and currently serves on the Boards of the German Centers for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York and San Francisco. In 2024 she received a special recognition certificate as a partner of the NRW-USA Year 2023/2024Dr. Eva Bosbach, Executive Director, University of Cologne New York Office
Moderation by:
Dr. Steven E. Sokol has been the President and CEO of the American Council on Germany since 2015. Previously, he served as President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and prior to that he was the Vice President and Director of Programs at the American Council on Germany. Prior to this, Dr. Sokol served as the Deputy Director of the Aspen Institute Berlin, was the Head of the Project Management Department at the Bonn International Center for Conversion GmbH (BICC), and a Program Officer in the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Earlier in his career, he also was a Program Manager at the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and was a paralegal at Fulbright & Jaworski. He holds a Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University as well as an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University’s Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. He has also studied at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität in Heidelberg and as a Fulbright Scholar at the Freie Universität in Berlin. Dr. Sokol serves on several non-profit boards and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was awarded a Bundesverdienstkreuz (Order of Merit) for his work to strengthen German-American relations.Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany
More from our experts:
Sakala, E., Mhango, B. J., Chisola, M., Dannenberg, P., & Luxen, V. (2025). Incentive-Based Conservation for Sustainable Agriculture in Mkushi District, Zambia. Journal of Sustainable Development Issues, 3(1), 66–80. https://doi.org/10.62433/josdi.v3i1.32
Sielker, F. & Dannenberg, P. (2025). New economic geographies of war: risks and disruptions in Eurasian transport routes and supply chains through the military conflict in Ukraine. ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, 69(1), 41-54. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfw-2024-0059
Follmann, A., Dannenberg, P., Baur, N., Braun, B., Walther, G., Bernzen, A., … Sulle, E. (2024). Conceptualizing Sustainability and Resilience in Value Chains in Times of Multiple Crises – Notes on Agri-food Chains. DIE ERDE – Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin, 155(1), 29–48. https://doi.org/10.12854/erde-2024-692
Dannenberg, P., Braun, B., Greiner, C., Follmann, A., Haug, M., Semedi Hargo Yuwono, P., Stetter, M., Widlok, T., & Kopriva, S. (2024). Eight arguments why biodiversity is important to safeguard food security. Plants, People, Planet, 6(3), 604–610. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10492
Chizen, C. J., Helgason, B. L., Weiseth, B., Dhillon, G. S., Baulch, H. M., Schoenau, J. J., & Bedard-Haughn, A. K. (2024). Soil carbon dynamics in drained prairie pothole wetlands. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1353802
Sorenson, P. T., Kiss, J., & Bedard-Haughn, A. (2024). A Proposed Methodology for Determining the Economically Optimal Number of Sample Points for Carbon Stock Estimation in the Canadian Prairies. Land, 13(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13010114
Gowera, G. T., Sorenson, P., Bedard-Haughn, A., Rivard, B., Peak, D., & Feng, J. (2024). Evaluating performance of miniaturized spectrometers in predicting soil properties using multivariate statistical analysis. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 104(2), 216–226. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2023-0084
Shahariar, S., Soolanayakanahally, R., & Bedard-Haughn, A. (2024). Short rotation willow to restore degraded marginal land and enhance climate resiliency within the Prairie Pothole Region: A potential Nature-Based Solution. Nature-Based Solutions, 5, 100129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbsj.2024.100129
This event is part of the Transatlantic Tandem Talks series:
The Transatlantic Tandem Talks were established on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the North America office of the University of Cologne in New York in the year 2021 in cooperation with its partners the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York, the German Embassy in Washington D.C., Deutsches Haus at NYU, DAAD New York, the German Research Foundation (DFG) North America, the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York, 1014 Space for Ideas, the Goethe Institute New York, AmerikaHaus NRW, the American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the American Council on Germany (ACG).
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the speakers do not necessarily reflect those of the DWIH New York and its partners. Moreover, reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or support by the DWIH NY and other event organizers.