The Institute of Environmental Planning, represented by the working group of Prof. Dr. Ann-Kathrin Koessler, hosted the second annual meeting of the EU Horizon research project VALERECO on 25-26th of June. Valereco aims at valorising the ecosystem services of legumes for sustainable agriculture. The heatwave occurring on those days in Germany was a tangible reminder of how urgent solutions and pathways for a resilient and sustainable agriculture are.
In the two days of the conference, the consortium discussed the first preliminary results of field research and the latest progress of the project to move closer to quantifying the ecosystem services of legumes and developing an EU-wide legume ecosystem. Through a comprehensive range of presentations and intensive discussions, the meeting enabled the consolidation and targeted networking of prior and ongoing research, amongst other regarding activities in Valereco’s nine living labs and first policy discussions together with Valereco's sister projects. The event was rounded off with a guided tour around Hannover's green spaces and old city and a joint dinner, as well as informal chats in between. Overall, the added value of bringing people together was once again confirmed.
