Nishanth Gurav, the TRIBE Lab member, presented his research at the Tropentag 2024, held from September 11th – 13th at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria.

The Tropentag is a development-oriented trans- and interdisciplinary conference. This year’s theme was Explore opportunities... for managing natural resources and a better life for all. It involved discussions on research about transformation in agriculture and agroecology, livestock, food sovereignty, forestry, water and environment, socio-ecology, gender equality, and related social sciences in the context of rural development, sustainable natural resources management, and poverty alleviation worldwide.

Nishant presented a poster titled Role of folk nomenclature in understanding and managing plant diversity. The poster presentation was also highlighted on the Tropentag student reporters blog.

The Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences invites you to Open Day, held on Friday, November 8, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This event is an ideal opportunity for prospective students to explore our study programs, campus environment, and the activities our faculty offers.

Program:

Information sessions about study programs will take place at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in Room 116. Representatives from student organizations such as Be Fair, Student Ambassadors will also be available throughout the day to introduce their work and inform you about study opportunities.

• Be Fair promotes fair trade, sustainability, recycling, and mindful food consumption.
• Student Ambassadors help new students adjust and organize various events with the faculty throughout the year.

Antelope Conservation, which is dedicated to protecting the biodiversity of the West African savannah and the western subspecies of the Derby antelope, will also be present.

Laboratories, research, and botanical garden tours

Meet members of our research teams and explore our laboratories, including the Laboratory of Plant Tissue Cultures and Laboratory of Molecular Genetics . The Animal Physiology and Behaviour Research Team, focusing on physiological and behavioral patterns in domestic species, will also present its work. Additionally, our Botanical Garden will be open with guided tours on the hour, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Kateřina Berková, one of our PhD students, has returned from an exciting internship at Visayas State University. Want to know more about her journey? Check out our latest article.

„When the opportunity to participate in the Erasmus+ KA171 program in the Philippines arose, I didn’t hesitate and immediately applied. This year, on July 22nd, I set off alone on a journey halfway around the world, and by the next day, I landed on the island of Leyte, where our partner university, Visayas State University, is located.

My internship primarily focused on field training, which is essential for me as a PhD student and will play a significant role in my research on tea-like plants. I travelled across the island for a few weeks, learning everything from expedition preparation and plant material collection in primary rainforests to market exploration and sample processing. In the second half of the internship, I worked in the laboratory at the university. I visited local farms and agricultural enterprises where the university produces its own products from local crops.

During my free days, I explored several islands and nature reserves, I went to several excursions and tasted a variety of interesting foods and drinks. The internship in such an exotic country and in an international team was a challenge for me, which I am very happy about. My stay in the Philippines brought me a lot of experience and I'm already looking forward to being able to apply it.

To anyone considering Erasmus+, I encourage you to get involved, go abroad, and bring back practical experience and knowledge!“

Our colleague Dr. Naji Sulaiman, a former key member of TRIBE lab, won the International Doctoral Award of the Italian Botanical Society for 2024. The ceremony took place during the 119th Congress of the Italian Botanical Society, held at the University of Teramo, Italy, from 11 to 13 September. The prestigious award recognizes outstanding PhD theses defended between 2022 and 2024 on topics related to General Botany, Systematic Botany, Environmental and Applied Botany, and Pharmaceutical Botany. Naji’s thesis, elaborated during his doctoral research in TRIBE Lab, focused on multiple aspects (botanical, food-related, socioeconomic, sociocultural, and sustainable) of wild plant use during the conflict in Syria, and it was successfully defended in March 2023. Naji is currently working as an assistant professor of Environmental and Applied Botany at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, Italy.

Congratulations!

We are proud to announce that Nishanth Gurav, a 3rd-year Ph.D. candidate at the Tropical Botany and Ethnobiology Lab (TRIBE), Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (FTA), Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, has been selected as a Student Ambassador and a member of the student committee of the prestigious Society for Ethnobotany (SEB).

Nishanth hails from India, and his current research focuses on sustainable practices and the folk taxonomy of wild edible plants used by the Gond tribal communities in the Bastar region of India. He has extensive experience working with local communities, having developed People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBR) for over 70 villages in the states of Karnataka and Chhattisgarh.

As a member of the SEB student committee (serving from June 2024 to June 2026), Nishanth will be involved in managing the committee’s social media pages and student blog, as well as supporting the organization of student events and initiatives related to ethnobotanical research.

We congratulate Nishanth on this significant achievement and wish him continued success in his future endeavors!

For more information on SEB, visit SEB's website.

We would like to invite you to a unique exhibition, Beauty of the West African Savannah, which will showcase the diversity of West African nature through 7x7 family photography. This exhibition will also highlight the importance of protecting endangered species such as the Western Giant eland  , the largest antelope in the world.

The exhibition will be complemented by a seminar that will take place at 2:00 p.m. in the FTZ-116 classroom, led by Assoc. Ing. Karolína Brandlová, Ph.D. (Wildlife Ecology Lab), who is also the leader of the Antelope Conservation Association. At the seminar, she will present the 7x7 family project, sharing experiences  from her travels in West Africa, and explain the importance of biodiversity conservation.

The opening of the exhibition will take place on 3 October 2024 at 15:00 in the lobby of the Faculty of Tropical Agriculture. The opening will be attended by Mgr. Lenka Pokorná, former Czech Ambassador to Senegal, and Mgr. Václav Prášil from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

October 3, 2024 The Entrance Hall of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, ČZU Prague Seminar: 2:00 PM (room FTZ-116) Exhibition opening: 3:00 PM

Come to be inspired and discover the beauty of West African nature!

The SEB Student Cafes are a chance for students to learn and discuss specific areas of ethnobotany with experts whose careers focus on that area. These discussions are organized by the SEB Student Committee, and their goal is to broaden students’ perspectives and understanding of ethnobotanical work, to better inform their own research and career trajectory, and to build a professional network within their areas of interest.

We cordially invite you to the dissertation thesis defence of Jignesh Italiya with the title “SARS-CoV-2 in zoo-kept and wild-living animals” (Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Tropical Agrobiology and Bioresource Management). Thesis defence will take place on 20th September 2024, 10 AM, meeting room 313 FTZ.

The COVID-19 outbreak caused by SARS-CoV-2 was first identified in Wuhan, China, in January 2020. This study explores the complex dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between humans and animals (zooanthroponosis) and highlights the challenges of wildlife disease detection. It encompasses three key studies: the first documented SARS-CoV-2 detection in a white rhinoceros in Senegal's Bandia Reserve, serological screening in various species at Wilhelma Zoo in Germany, and the development of a multi-species ELISA assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in zoo animals. These findings underscore the need for extensive wildlife surveillance to understand the virus's host range and mitigate future zoonotic risks.

The Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences of the Czech University of Agriculture will host the prestigious international conference The Society for Ethnobotany (SEB) Annual Meeting in June 2025. This meeting, which each year attracts experts from around the world, provides a unique opportunity to share scientific knowledge and discuss key issues such as sustainable use of plants for food, medicine,... , plant biodiversity conservation and adaptation to climate change.

What is ethnobotany?

Ethnobotany is the study of the relationships between people and the plants they use for disease treatment, food self-sufficiency or as part of their cultural and religious practices. This multidisciplinary field encompasses botany, ecology, anthropology and history amongst others, and is fundamental to understanding how different cultures around the world use plants for their needs.

Ethnobotany plays a key role in sustainability because it allows us to understand traditional ways of managing natural resources, which often prove to be effective and environmentally friendly. Research in this field can provide crucial insights in and for addressing current global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and food security and livelihood improvement.

Society for Ethnobotany (SEB)

The Society for Ethnobotany is the leading international organisation dedicated to research and promotion of ethnobotany. The Society was founded in 1959 and has since become an important forum for scientists working on the relationships between plants, cultures and the environment. In June 2023, it changed its name from the original "Society for Economic Botany" to its current name to better reflect the scope of its work.

SEB conferences are held annually and serve as a platform for sharing the latest research and discussions on sustainable use of natural resources, conservation of ecosystems and adaptation to global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. The 2025 meeting in Prague will attract experts from around the world and provide a platform for international collaboration in these key areas.

Prague as a centre for scientific dialogue on ethnobotany

"We are very proud to host such a prestigious conference that brings together scientific capacities and ethnobotany experts from all over the world," said Patrick Van Damme, Dean of the Faculty of Tropical Agriculture. "This event is not only an opportunity to strengthen international collaboration, but also a chance for our students and scientists to engage in current global research on sustainable development and natural resource conservation."

Prof. dr. ir. Patrick Van Damme, who has led the faculty since 2021, is one of the leading experts in tropical agriculture and ethnobotany. His scientific career began at Ghent University, where he began to work intensively on the sustainable use of plants in tropical and subtropical areas during his studies.

Among his most important projects is his work on the Great Green Wall initiative, which aims to create a forested barrier in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 to prevent the expansion of the Sahara desert. Van Damme has worked for many years in ethnobotanical research in countries such as Namibia, Senegal, Togo and Ecuador, just to name a few.

A rich supporting programme and cultural excursions

The conference will include excursions that will introduce participants not only to the beauty of Prague and its rich history, but also to Czech culture, products and traditions. The planned excursions will  aim at linking the scientific discussion with the cultural context of the Czech Republic, providing a comprehensive experience for the foreign participants.

The SEB conference is an important step in the development of international cooperation and scientific research at the Faculty of Tropical Agriculture. "Our faculty has a long tradition in sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and plant research in tropical areas. We are thrilled to play such an important role in hosting this important event," concludes Van Damme.

The Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences invites you to participate in the upcoming 5th International Multidisciplinary Conference for Young Researchers (MCYR), taking place on 3–4 October 2024 in Prague, Czech Republic.

This year’s conference theme “Resilience in the Face of Global Challenges” is more relevant than ever, as it addresses the pressing issues that young researchers across the globe are striving to tackle.

The MCYR 2024 is a unique opportunity for early career researchers from various disciplines to come together, share their innovative work, and contribute to a collective understanding of how to navigate the complexities of our modern world.

Why Participate?

- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Engage with fellow researchers from a variety of fields, fostering cross-disciplinary insights and collaborations.

- Professional Networking: Expand your professional network, meet peers and established experts, and discuss your research in a dynamic, supportive environment.

- Constructive Feedback: Receive in-depth feedback on your research, helping you refine your work and take it to the next level.

- Publication Opportunity: All accepted abstracts will be published in the MCYR Book of Abstracts, available online with an ISBN, giving your work visibility in the academic community.

Key Dates

- Conference Dates: 3 – 4 October 2024

- Submission Deadline: 1 September 2024

To learn more about the conference, including details on workshops and the abstract submission process, please visit the website: https://mcyr.ftz.czu.cz/en.

The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TAČR) has launched an innovative project titled "Environment for Life - Genetic Monitoring of the Wolf (2024-2026)" aimed at developing advanced genetic monitoring techniques for the grey wolf, a key species in Central European ecosystems.

As a top predator, the grey wolf is a key species in many ecosystems around the world. Human perceptions of it can then be controversial, ranging from a flagship and umbrella types of conservation to negative perceptions in pastoral communities. The urgent need to address and mitigate this polarization perceived by many stakeholders makes this species in many ways a model species.

The MEGERA (Molecular Ecology, Genetics and Evolutionary Research of Animals) research team working at the FTZ is involved in this prestigious project with the aim to develop genetic monitoring of the wolf, which provides indispensable information in describing the recolonization of Central Europe and in mitigating conflict with humans.

As the wolf phenotype can be confused with the dog and does not allow easy individual identification, it is an essential tool for verifying species affiliation, possibly verifying hybridisation with the dog and determining abundance. The data are also used in the study of the genealogy and viability of the population and the study of the spatial ecology of the species. Genetics is also an indispensable tool in the analysis of livestock attacks and forensic cases. Harmonisation of the genetic markers used allows cross-border comparisons. The needs of nature conservation institutions and the social topicality of the topic, including its politicization and tabloidization, require routinization, automation and acceleration of these procedures, which requires deeper cooperation between primary research institutions and the applied sphere.

Principal investigator is the Faculty of Science of Charles University, the co-investigator is the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, and the application guarantor is Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (NCA).

The project aims to streamline and automate genetic procedures through close cooperation between research institutions and the applied sphere and this work is expected to set new standards for genetic monitoring in wildlife conservation, with the potential to influence policy and public perception of the grey wolf across Europe.

Dear students, colleagues, alumni and friends of FTA we bring you a new issue of "Tropical News", in which you can find an overview of the activities and projects of international cooperation at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences for the first half of this year. We also introduce our alumni and bring you news from student life. Our aim is to keep all our current and future partners informed and to encourage new opportunities for collaboration.

The newsletter is available for download at the link below, or you can find it in this section:

https://www.ftz.czu.cz/en/r-9422-international-relations/r-11631-international-relations-office/r-17265-fta-newsletter

The Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (FTZ) is pleased to announce that Prof. Ing. Ladislav Kokoška, Ph.D., has been awarded the title of Top Scholar by the prestigious ScholarGPS platform. This award, which he received for his outstanding publication record and significant scientific impact, places him among the top 0.5% of the world's most eminent scientists in the field of medicinal plants.

ScholarGPS recognizes scientists who have made outstanding achievements in their fields, disciplines and specialties. As an ethnobotanist and ethnopharmacologist, Prof. Kokoška specializes in the study of the biological effects and chemical composition of tropical plants used in traditional medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases. The results of his research can help in the development of new types of pharmaceuticals and veterinary medicines.

According to ScholarGPS, Prof. Kokoška has 160 publications that have been cited more than 4,483 times, and his h-index is 38. These indicators confirm the significant impact of his scientific activity and the quality of his research.

"I appreciate this award, which is the result of many years of work and collaboration with my colleagues and students, and I believe that our results will contribute to the further development of science and strengthen the awareness of the importance of tropical medicinal plants," said Prof. Kokoška.

ScholarGPS, the world's most comprehensive scholar analytics platform, provides detailed profiles of scholars and institutions. Its algorithms use advanced data mining, artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to identify and analyse scientific impact. ScholarGPS covers more than 30 million scientists and 55,000 institutions worldwide, and analyzes over 200 million publications and their citations.

FTZ and the entire academic community congratulates Prof. Kokoška on this important award and wishes him much continued success in his scientific work.

Some very sad news reached our faculty in the first half of July. As a consequence we regretfully have to inform you that our good colleague, doc. Dr. RNDr. Tomáš Ratinger, MSc., Ph.D., who worked at our Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (FTZ) since its foundation in 2013, passed away at the age of 67. 

He played an important role in promoting agricultural economics as one of the core teaching and research disciplines in our faculty. His career at FTZ was primarily associated with teaching and research in the fields of the impact of agrarian policies on agricultural efficiency and sustainability of natural resource use. He has also had the opportunity to participate in FTZ missions to Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Afghanistan, and was involved in numerous topics related to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Amazon and Southeast Asia.

Thanks to his knowledge and attitudes, Tomas was known not only to the circle of agricultural economists in the Czech Republic, but also abroad. He worked for many years in Spain, the USA, the UK and Germany, and was an active consultant and expert for the European Commission and FAO.

Tomas also mentored numerous students during his career and significantly guided and influenced them in their future professional and personal careers. We have not only lost a highly respected expert, but also a true  'renaissance man' of deep cultural richness who influenced a whole generation of followers with his vision and attitudes.

Honour to his memory.

We are pleased to announce that Agronomy is now inviting nominations for the Agronomy 2024 Young Investigator Award. This prize will be given to one young investigator in recognition of their excellence in the field of agronomy and agroecology. All nominations will be assessed by an Evaluation Committee consisting of senior scholars from the Agronomy Editorial Board.            

The 5th International Multidisciplinary Conference for Young Researchers (MCYR) is organized by the BioResources and Technology Division (Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague) in collaboration with the AgriSciences Platform, the OSIRIS and COMUNIDAD projects.

The recently launched BIO-CAPITAL project contributes to the development of financial tools that protect biodiversity by linking private capital investments and Earth observation data from space.

With the aim to support the creation of socio-economic incentives for returning migrants and their communities, to boost the employability of young people, a new project has been launched in the Kolda region. The project is financed by the Czech Republic through its Ministry of the Interior for a period of 18 months (November 2023- April 2025). IOM believes that tackling the adverse factors behind these irregular movements, notably through the creation of economic opportunities and productive, sustainable employment, contributes to the long-term solution.

FTA invites you to an interesting workshop on grafting techniques in vegetable crops. The workshop will be led by M. Sc. Melisa Huizar Mondragón, a PhD student in Protected Agriculture Sciences from the Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Mexico. She will be collaborating with the Tropical Biotechnology Research Group, headed by prof. Eloy Fernández Cusimamani and Dr. Iva Viehmannová, and our botanic garden. It will be led in English.

Date: June 27, 2024 

Time: 10:00 AM 

Location: Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences and Botanic Garden

This workshop will cover:

- Advantages and disadvantages of using grafts

- Execution of grafts

- Pre- and post-graft management

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from experts in the field!

For more details please contact:

• melisahuizar@gmail.com or
• prochazkovazdislava@ftz.czu.cz

This activity focuses on building a range of data-related skills that are vital for addressing trans-disciplinary challenges in contemporary research work. The Summer School builds competence in data analysis and security for participants from all disciplines and/ or backgrounds from sciences to humanities. Topics to be covered include principles and practice of research data management, authorship in the 21st century, data curation, data security, Open Science, visualization, machine learning and artificial neural networks.

Tropentag, the conference on tropical and subtropical agriculture, natural resource management, and rural development is an annual conference organised by ATSAF e.V. in collaboration with European universities since 1999 (www.tropentag.de). Tropentag 2024 will be organised as a hybrid conference by University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria.
We will have an in-person conference, but all oral presentation sessions will be live-streamed via an online conference platform. The Tropentag 2024 conference will summarize recent disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to address “Explore opportunities... for managing natural resources and a better life for all”. To increase the outreach of the event, ATSAF e.V. sponsors a team of 12 student reporters to give an account of the event.

Senior Researcher Food Environment and Consumer Behavior as Integrated Expert. The Alliance Bioversity International & CIAT is part of the Global Research Partnership for a Food Secure Future (CGIAR), which is dedicated to transforming food, land and water systems in a climate crisis. The Alliance delivers research-based solutions that address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. The Alliance's Food Environment and Consumer Behavior team works between the farm gate and the consumers’ plate, with an emphasis on the food environment between the market and consumers.

Please find attached the Call for Papers of the annual conference organised by the Africa Platform of Ghent University Association: Africa at the intersection of Climate, Migration & Health challenges.

In 2024 this international symposium will be co-organised by Ghent University’s International Thematic Network CliMigHealth, which focuses on the nexus between climate change, migration and health(care), the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) and the Centre for the Social Study of Migration and Refugees (CESSMIR).

We cordially invite you to the dissertation thesis defence of Kateřina Vihanová with the title “Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils and supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of Asian spices against food pathogens in liquid and vapour phase” (Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Tropical Agrobiology and Bioresource Management). Thesis defence will take place on 31st May 2024, 10 AM, meeting room 403 FTZ.

Foodborne microbial diseases present a significant public health concern necessitating the preservation of food products to extend their shelf life and ensure safety. An emerging method of food preservation involves the antimicrobial modified atmosphere packaging. Spices and condiments containing volatile oils hold promise for such applications. In this study, the in vitro growth-inhibitory activity of essential oils (EOs) and supercritical carbon dioxide extracts (CO2 extracts) obtained from spices originating from Asia was assayed using broth microdilution volatilisation method against bacterial food pathogens. Subsequently, chemical profiles of most potent samples were examined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) apparatus. The findings of the study suggest that EOs and CO2 extracts derived from Cinnamomum spp. hold promise as natural food preservatives in the food industry. In addition, the results of experiments with Cambodian species suggest the potential application of supercritical CO2 for their extraction in spice-processing practice.

The Project 'Through Biogas Technology to Increase the Resilience of Communities in the Western Province of Zambia' unlocks unlimited potential. In Zambia, the population is faced with the unavailability and scarcity of energy resources, and most people depend on unsustainable energy practices. The responsibility for collecting traditional resources (charcoal, firewood) is, in most cases, borne by women and girls who often cannot devote themselves to education and/or other self-realisation activities. 

Enhancement of the long-term sustainability of the collection and commercialisation of local medicinal and aromatic plants. In March 2024, representatives of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, in collaboration with colleagues from Rhine-Waal University (Germany) and the University of Gastronomic Sciences

Join us for an Unforgettable Learning Journey in?southeast Asia. The Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences announces Summer School 2024 in Cambodia, centered around the captivating theme: "Agro-food Systems Towards Green Technologies and Self-Sufficiency." 

Department of Animal Science and Food Processing invites you to a seminar to be held on Thursday 2 May at 2pm at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences. Our guest speaker will be Mgr. Katerina Sam, Ph.D., Head of the Department of Ecology, Institute of Entomology, Biological Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, who will present her research on insectivorous predators, focusing mainly on birds in different tropical regions.

The meeting will take place in room 116 at the FTA and it will also be possible to join via MS Teams. A link to the online meeting can be found in the attachment.

When: May 2nd, 2024 14:00-15:30

Where: FTA (CZU), room 116 or MS Teams, using attached QR code.

The Faculty of Tropical Agrisciences is delighted to announce the upcoming Tropentag 2024 conference, a premier international event focusing on research in tropical and subtropical agriculture, natural resource management, and rural development.  

Tropentag 2024 will be hosted by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria, from September 11th to 13th, 2024. Embracing the possibilities of the hybrid format, the conference will take place both in Vienna and online, fostering global participation and collaboration. 

Discover with us the alarming reality of turtle egg poaching and the trade with turtle shell products. Learn how social media monitoring can be a powerful tool in catching poachers, and uncover several case studies dealing with the protection of animals.

Featuring insightful talks by:

• Mgr. Hana Svobodová (Chráníme mořské želvy a.s.)
• Ing. Tereza Švejcarová (fžp)
• Mgr. Ing. Jan Chmelař (čižip)

Hana Svobodová will introduce the project - Protecting sea turtles (Chráníme mořské želvy a.s). All sea turtle species are threatened with extinction. The situation is worst in the Indian Ocean, where sea turtles have already disappeared in many places. This project works with local organisations to protect beaches from poachers in two areas in Indonesia (Lembata Island in the SE of the country and Denawan Island in the south of Borneo) and one area in the south of Sri Lanka (beaches near Dikwella).

In addition to direct protection of the hatchery beaches, the project also focuses on education and development of the local people and works with government organizations and other conservation organizations, preparing educational materials for children that are used in many countries around the world, including the Czech Republic. Since 2014, more than 4,000,000 turtle eggs have been saved through these activities, and this number is increasing every day.

Ing. Tereza Švejcarová (Faculty of Environmental Sciences) will focus on birds in South East Asia and illegal trade of them through social networks

Mgr. Ing. Jan Chmelař (eská Inspekce Životního prostředí) will present the Department of International Biodiversity Protection and CITES at the Czech Environmental Inspectorate (ČIŽP), along with few examples from several case studies.

You will learn more during our meeting and after the lecture you can enjoy a chance to discuss, network, and share ideas with us.

Learn & Discuss vol. 5 - Illegal animal trade

Date: 29. 4. 2024

Time: 17:30

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, room 116

Let us invite you to the next CINeZ seminar, which will be held tomorrow from 16:00 (CEST). The talk about exosomes and their role in inflammation will be given by dr. Irma Schabussova from the Medical University Vienna. Unfortunately, dr. Schabussova is not able to come in person, so the seminar will be fully online. You can join the seminar using this link. You can also find more information about the seminar in the attached flyer.

We are pleased to invite you to attend the dissertation thesis defence of Ing. Abubakar Sadiq Musa on ”Effects of routine Handling in the husbandry of common eland” (Animal Science and Food Processing, Tropical Agrobiology and Bioresource Management). Thesis defence will take place on 7.5.2024 at 12:00 AM, Meeting Room 401 FTA.

In the global wildlife enterprise, there is a growing opportunity for intensified game farming, particularly with species like common eland (Taurotragus oryx). Thus, success in intensification relies heavily on the ability to handle these large bovids effectively while maintaining their welfare. In light of this, the present study examines methods and factors affecting the ease of handling, social interaction, and overall harmony of common eland in an intensive management system, crucial for animal welfare. Two research studies led to the entirety of the present study: One evaluated the effects of routine handling and immunocastration on temperament during handling, social behaviour and activity budgets of eland, finding minimal impact; the other studied the effect of routine handling and social dominance on blood biochemistry, noting no effect on social rank but some stress-related changes. Overall, routine handling led to a gradual improvement in temperament over time while immunocastration ameliorated agonistic behaviour in the studied animals with minimal effect on their activity. Although there is optimism for integrating common eland into intensive game production, further research is needed to understand the impact of traditional husbandry management on their welfare and productivity.

ACCTING (AdvanCing behavioural Change Through an INclusive Green deal) produces knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal and this week is hosting an online webinar on: “Rooted in equality: Strengthening food security through gender+ inclusive and sustainable small-scale farming“.

We are pleased to invite you to attend the dissertation thesis defence of Rohit Bharati, MSc. on ”Exploring the Potential of In-vitro Polyploidization for Genetic Improvement of Medicinal Plants” (Department of Crop Science and Agroforestry, Tropical Agrobiology and Bioresource Management). Thesis defence will take place on 24.4.2024 at 10:00 AM, Meeting Room 313 FTA.

The thesis delves into the significance of medicinal plants throughout human history and the challenges faced in their breeding and research due to time and resource constraints. It proposes synthetic polyploidization as a viable solution to expedite the breeding process and enhance the traits of medicinal plants. The study focuses on several important medicinal plant species, including spearmint, lemon balm, basket plant, and mini melon, along with Vitis spp., employing in vitro polyploidization techniques. Through the application of oryzalin, the study successfully induced polyploidy in the selected plants, resulting in significant variations in various characteristics compared to their progenitor genotypes. These findings underscore the potential of synthetic polyploidization in genetic enhancement, offering a pathway for the accelerated development of medicinal plant cultivars with improved therapeutic properties. The research contributes valuable insights to bridging the gap between traditional breeding methods and innovative approaches for sustainable medicinal plant cultivation and utilization.

The successful candidate will be expected to meet online regularly with other project members in Kenya and to travel to Kenya. Their main responsibility will be to design, carry out and publish the interdisciplinary research proposed for the HABITAT project, and potentially seek additional funding to expand the research program

The International Relations Office and the Office of Science, Research and Doctoral Studies of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences are launching a call for financial support of research stays abroad (internships).

The Department of Animal Science and Food Processing at FTZ is delighted to invite you to a scientific seminar titled "Poaching and Conservation of Elephants and Great Apes in Central Africa - Insights from a Field Conservationist." This session will feature Arthur F. Sniegon, a distinguished conservationist with extensive experience in the heart of Central Africa.

Date: March 28, 2024

Time: 14:00 - 15:30

Location: FTZ Room 116

Central Africa is the frontline where the clash between expanding

human civilization and native nature represented by the largest

remaining populations of forest elephants, African great apes, and

many other taxa is occurring. The talk will discuss specific cases from

14 years of travel, volunteering and working in Congo, Cameroon and

Chad in conservation - from monitoring and documenting wildlife, to

repression in the fight against wildlife crime, to development projects

with local communities.

Did you know that wild indigenous vegetables have the potential to circumvent the present effects of climate change on food security? 

There is a little-known green leafy “weed,” Asystasia gangetica ssp. micrantha, whose potential as a food resource has not been fully assessed. Its integration into the modern food system needs science-based advocacy and sensitization. 

Join us on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at 4:00 PM EAT/2:00 PM CET for another inspiring Online Café!  Our esteemed guests, Dr. James Shergold Epila-Otara, Dr. Epila Jackie, and Prof. Dr. Ir. Kathy Steppe, will lead us in the socioeconomics and modern ecophysiological assessments of this remarkable “weed” with transformative potential for our modern food cultures. 

Register here.

Ready to be inspired?  

Best regards,
The IPBO team

The chronic bacterial dysbiosis has become a known risk resulting from inappropriate antimicrobial therapy of infectious diarrhoea. Moreover, association between such microbial disturbances and onset of gastrointestinal carcinogenesis has been increasingly discussed. Plant-derived constituents such as compounds and extracts of medicinal plants have a high therapeutic potential for their multiple biological activities. In this thesis, in vitro selective inhibitory effects were determined against several diarrheagenic bacteria and intestinal cancer cells in cases of extracts from six Cambodian and Philippine antidiarrheal plants and phytochemical analogues of four quinoline alkaloids. Quantitative structure-property relationship literature analysis of (iso)quinolines identified compounds with therapeutic potential, and investigation of their chemotaxonomic distribution in relation to ethnobotanical profile unveiled some pharmacologically important plant taxa. This study identifies plants and plant-derived products that are worth further research focused on development of a new efficient and safer antibacterial/anticancer drugs employed in the treatment of diarrhoea and associated intestinal cancers.

We invite you to the dissertation thesis defence of Ebenezer Donkor on “The Impact of Producer Groups on the Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices and Technical Efficiency of Small Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa” (Department of Economics and Development, Sustainable Rural Development). Thesis defence will take place on 26th March 2024, 09:30 AM, Meeting Room 401 FTA.

The study investigated the impact of producer group participation on the adoption of sustainable cocoa practices (SCPs) and technical efficiency among cocoa farmers in Ghana. By comparing members of different producer groups and non-members, the study aimed to assess the extent of this impact across various types of producer groups. A total of 458 farmers were sampled for the study, comprising 193 members of cooperatives, 144 members of farmer associations, and 121 non-members. Employing various econometric and counterfactual models, the study found that membership in producer groups, including cooperatives and farmer associations, significantly influenced the adoption of sustainable cocoa practices and the technical efficiency of cocoa farmers. Notably, the impact of producer groups varied between members of cooperatives and farmer associations. Additionally, the study revealed that the adoption of SCPs had a noteworthy effect on the technical efficiency of cocoa farmers.

Invitation to a Scientific Seminar of the Department of Animal Science and Food Processing. The event will take place on Thursday – March 14 from 2 p.m., room FTZ 116.

The southern right whale faces conservation challenges from historical hunting to climate change. With the molecular ecology approach, we have tracked its population structure and dynamics across time. The research confirmed the connectivity of the South Atlantic populations. Further studies of stable isotopes illustrated that South African right whales underwent a dramatic northward shift and diversification in foraging strategy. Considering further predictions of the significant impacts of global warming, the future of the southern right whales and other marine megafauna remains uncertain.

If you want to find more please join us and meet speakers we invited - Petra Nevečeřalová together with her supervisor Pavle Hulva from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Charles University, who are part of an international team of scientists investigating the situation of the southern right whale. In a series of scientific studies, they managed to illustrate what problems the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is currently facing.

1. Call for applications for 15 PhD positions in the frame of the BOKU, doc-school HR21 (Human rivers in the 21th century), all 15 position are fully funded and will start on 1 Sep 2024 with duration of 4 years.
more details: see the flyer attached and
https://short.boku.ac.at/PhDpositions

2. The Circular City "WG5 barriers" paper is finally published, it is
the outcome from our workshop sessions on barriers in which some of you
participated (some time ago ;-)
Title: "What does it take to renature cities? An expert-based analysis
of barriers and strategies for the implementation of nature-based
solutions*
see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120385

We are pleased to invite you to attend the dissertation thesis defence of Johana Alaverdyan on “Investigating Ixodid Ticks, Tick-Borne Pathogens, and Their Presence in Neglected Ecosystems and Unconventional Hosts” (Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Tropical Agrobiology and Bioresource Management). Thesis defence will take place on 22.3.2024 at 10:00 AM, Meeting Room 313 FTA.

Johana’s academic research aimed to advance understanding of ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs), focusing on landscape dynamics and unconventional hosts. It evaluated TTBD risks to exotic animals in farms and zoos, illuminating their susceptibility to tick-borne pathogens and broader ecological implications. It also examined the relationship between landscape management and tick prevalence, considering human interventions like land use changes. Understanding this interplay is crucial for mitigating TTBD spread. Additionally, it evaluated and proposed tailored management strategies for tick and TTBD control.

We invite you to the dissertation thesis defence of Mgr. A. Jana Horáčková on “Ethnobotanical inventory of Peruvian plants used in folk medicine in the Province of Purus, Peru” (Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Tropical Agrobiology and Bioresource Management). Thesis defence will take place on 13th February 2024, 2:00 PM, Meeting Room 313 FTA.

This dissertation is based on primary data on traditional knowledge of medicinal plants in the Purus province of southern Peru, one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, where ethnobotanical knowledge has been largely under-documented to date. This study provides novel insights into the traditional botanical knowledge of the Cashinahua people. The research involved working with 10 traditional healers and 10 midwives between November 2010 and June 2015, during which a total of 11 months were spent in the field.  A total of 467 medicinal species were documented, with a particular focus on highlighting 79 taxa that have received little or no attention in pharmacological research. Among them, the therapeutic activities most frequently reported were related to pregnancy and birth disorders, followed by poisonings, infections, and infestations. The predominant application form was external. These findings could be crucial for future pharmaceutical studies and diversity conservation programs in the region.

The BRT is pleased to announce that Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík, founder and leader of the Biogas Research Team (BRT) at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU), has been appointed as the new Vice-Dean of Science, Research and Doctoral Studies at FTZ.

Webinar in English – February 6^th – 10am-12pm. In collaboration with the Czech, French and Slovak National Contact Points for the Horizon Europe programme, the French Embassies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are organizing a webinar to inform the academic communities about the European and bilateral tools to support mobility. Come and find out more about opportunities to develop your bilateral partnerships, to find a post-doctoral position or to host a post-doc!

More information and registration on: https://www.ifp.cz/fr/science-et-universite/evenements-6/evenements-9/event3218-marie-sklodowska-curie-actions-postdoctoral-fellowships-2024#/

We are delighted to extend an invitation for your presence at the dissertation thesis defence of José Alejandro Ruiz Chután on “Assessment of morphological and genetic diversity of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) in Guatemala” (Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Tropical Agrobiology and Bioresource Management). Thesis defence will take place on 2.2.2024 at 11:00 AM, Meeting Room 313 FTA.

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport using mobility and cooperation opportunities in higher education. This call is open for student mobilities for studies during the academic year 2024/25.

Are you ready to find out more about the Global Forestry Master degree programme? Don’t miss this opportunity, meet professors and ask questions about the enrolment procedure! Save the date: 1st February at 5.00pm (CET)

Register here :? https://unipd.link/EeRPzD or use the QR code

The BRT is pleased to announce the development of its new initiative, the Agri Policy Lab. To get more insight into the development of this exciting new initiative, we interviewed Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík who is an expert in organic waste management and sustainable technologies, the leader of the Biogas Research Team (BRT) at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU), an agriculture enthusiast with a passion for his work and the second-youngest member of the Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Bioeconomy platform of the Czech Republic. He does research, especially in Waste Management, Environmental and Ecological Engineering and is an editorial board member of several journals. He is also the author of over 100 peer-reviewed (indexed) research papers and was appointed one of Czechia's youngest associate professors. 

We are pleased to invite you to attend the dissertation thesis defence of Julien Antih on “Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils vapours from plants recommended by the European Medicines Agency against respiratory diseases”

We are pleased to invite you to attend the dissertation thesis defence of Ing. Yamen Homaidan Shmeit on “Induced polyploidy in species from the Lamiaceae family: Thymus vulgaris L. and Satureja montana L.”

Conference will take place on 12 December from 14.00 to 15.30 CET. The lecture for FTZ will be given by Ing. Jan Staš.

We invite you to the dissertation thesis defence of Ing. et Ing. Eduardo Duque Dussán, MBA.

Jan Staš, a member of the Biogas Research Team (BRT), has just returned from Sanya, China, where he represented his team NOSATOR-FLOW in receiving their award for their outstanding success in the food waste solution competition.

Our colleague Dr. Naji Sulaiman, a former member of TRIBE lab, has been interviewed by the prestigious international newspaper The New York Times. 

Are you interested in growing your knowledge and advancing your professional career in sustainable food and agriculture systems? Are you looking for flexibility in your education that allows you to pursue a professional career from the comfort of your home? Then our online Master’s Degree Programme on Tropical Agroecology is for you.

An interdisciplinary research group CZU COVID-19 Response Team, which was led by our Group leader – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík just published their work in Globalization and Health (one of the most prestigious journals, which is pioneering and transdisciplinary journal that situates public health and wellbeing within the dynamic forces of global development).

Dr. Esther Muindi is soil and water management expert from the school of agricultural Sciences and agribusiness, Pwani University. She is passionate about climate change mitigation and would like to study green house gases (GHGs) associated with biogas technology during her 6 months postdoc period with the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague - Biogas Research Team.

Dear students, colleagues, alumni, and FTA friends, Welcome to the seventh issue of Tropical News.

Our newsletter will give you a brief insight into the latest activities and international cooperation at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. 

This newsletter is distributed twice a year, and we would like to inform all our current and future partners of the news from our faculty to create new opportunities for cooperation.
We will be happy to get you involved in FTA activities, so feel free to contact us!

Thank you for your continued support!

You can find the Newsletter in the attached file below and previous Newsletters here.

Dear colleagues,  let me invite you and your colleagues to the 4th MCYR! All the information can be found here. MULTIDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCE FOR YOUNG RESEARCHERS (MCYR)

The All Africa Horticultural Congress (AAHC) is the most important scientific event organized every four years in the field of Horticulture in Africa under the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS).

Role and engagement of local governments, international development or evaluation in relation to minorities or refugees. These were some of the topics of the Czech Evaluation Society and the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences Conference with the subtitle Evaluation Dynamics from the Perspective of Different Players, which was held from June 14 to June 15 at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.  

Are you interested in advances in renewable energy research or sustainable energy sources in sub-Saharan Africa? We would like to invite you to special lectures given by Professor Julius Kewir Tangka and Doctor Viyoi Catherine Tidze. The lectures will take place on Tuesday, June 20 at 13:00 in room 401, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences.

In frame of his dissertation entitled ‘Ethnobotany of Gond and Baiga communities in the vicinity of selected sacred groves in Chhattisgarh, India’, Nishanth Gurav, under the supervision of Zbyněk Polesný, from the TRIBE team completed his first data collection field expedition to Bastar region in central India to investigate wild edible plants from the ethnobotanical perspective.

This is a survey about the awareness of European citizens on ticks and tick borne-diseases. It is conducted by a group of researchers on the topic from several institutions in Europe. Before the disclaimer you will be able to select your language of choice. Then after, you will read the ethical disclaimer, to which you can agree (you will continue with the questionnaire) or disagree (leave the questionnaire).

 The SSH CENTRE project is funding 30 PhD and Early to Mid Career Researchers working in Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) to participate in an SSH knowledge brokerage initiative for policymaking on themes of climate, energy, and mobility. Each participant will receive €2,000 as an honorarium to participate in t

The Department of Biology in the Faculty of Sciences is looking for a full-time (100%) doctoral scholarship holder in the field of Tidal wetland restoration

The deadline is extended till 30.6.! The Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS) organizes an annual student scientific conference for students from ELLS universities.The main theme of this year is The Power of Science - Many Perspectives on our World.

One year ago, I was offered an internship at the National Coffee Research Centre of Colombia (Cenicafé). Cenicafé has bred new coffee varieties resistant to diseases, so it seemed relevant to calculate these thermal and physical properties because the country is rapidly changing and renewing the coffee crops towards disease-resistant types.

The first pre-conference workshop already happened in May and more of MCYR is coming up! Welcome to the Multidisciplinary Conference for Young Researchers (MCYR) blog post!

The Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences hosted the Agrinatura General Assembly 2023 and scientific conference held from 10th May to 12th May. The General Assembly and international conference have proved to be a platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration in agriculture for development. The Agrinatura General Assembly and conference brought together experts and professionals from different parts of the world to share ideas, experiences, and insights on various aspects of agriculture.

Almost 90 participants from 30 international institutions took part in these events and were actively engaged in the presentations, discussions, and networking sessions. Their presence made a significant impact on the quality of the event and helped create a platform for exchange and collaboration among attendees.

We would like to express gratitude to the esteemed speakers and presenters who shared their invaluable expertise and experiences during the conference.

The key topics discussed during the conference were:

• Challenges and opportunities for youth involvement in Food Systems Evolution
• Social innovations for Food Systems Transition
• Implementation of technical innovations in Agroecological practices

The programme of the conference is available here: Agrinatura 2nd Conference 2023 | Agrinatura (agrinatura-eu.eu)

Let us invite you to the last CINeZ seminar in this academic year. The talk entitled "Long-term, enzootic persistence and cross-species transmission of canine distemper virus in Arctic wildlife in North America" will be given by Dr. Nicole Nova from the High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. The seminar will take place exceptionally on Tuesday, June 13^th, from 15:00 CEST in room 401 at FTZ.

You can also join the seminar at MS Teams via this link. 

All important information, including a flyer propagating the seminar, the abstract, and Nicole´s CV, are attached.

Please feel free to spread the information about the seminar to all your colleagues who could be interested in it. 

Dear colleagues, We would like to invite you to participate in the conference we are organizing in cooperation with the international association Agrinatura.

Global Research Collaboration: Harnessing Innovation for Food Systems Transition

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic, 11 May 2023

We would like to warmly invite you to the Invited lectures by Ana Mandic and Adriajana Filipovic, which will take place today, 27.4.2023 in room 127 from 10:30.

In order to stimulate high-quality scientific research regarding problems inherent to overseas regions, the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences (RAOS) organizes yearly competitions.

Prof. Lesia Karpuk is a Professor at Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University (Ukraine). Nataliia Dyman is a Master of Ecology, a junior lecturer at the Department of language training for foreign students at Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University

First Announcement and Call for Contributions. Brussels, Monday 4 December 2023. The Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences will organize its fourth Theme Day on Monday 4 December 2023. The goal of this conference is to allow young researchers under the age of 40, who are active in global South countries, to meet each other, whatever their specialization, but also to let them know the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences and its activities (www.kaowarsom.be). Abstracts may be submitted in English, French or Dutch, but preferably in English. Participation is free of charge but registration is compulsory

THURSDAY, 11 MAY 2023 CZECH UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. We would like to invite you to participate at the 2nd Agrinatura Conference dur ing this year General Assembly at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic.

The Africa Platform organises: Call for Papers - International Conference - Knowledge production, research ethics and authorship in African contexts - November 2023 at UWC in Cape Town

The Call for the One Planet Fellowship Internship Program for Emerging European Scientists

African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) is pleased to announce the Call for the One Planet Fellowship Internship Programs targeting young European scientists. The One Planet Fellowship is a career development initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), BNP Paribas Foundation with additional support from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the European Union (EU) Commission. The Fellowship, jointly implemented by AWARD and Agropolis Fondation, was created with the aim of building a dynamic, diverse, and highly connected network of African and European scientists equipped to lead cutting-edge research and innovation to help Africa’s small-scale farmers adapt to a changing climate.

Our newly launched online MSc degree programme offers students from all over the world the opportunity to specialise in Tropical Agroecology!

The newly launched Horizon EU project AGRIGEP contributes to creating equal opportunities for all through responsive Gender Equality Plans &  Inclusive Action at Agriculture and Life Science Universities.

Tropentag 2023, hybrid conference (Berlin and online); September 20-22, 2023; 'Competing pathways for equitable food systems transformation: trade-offs and synergies.'

The Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) is one of the 10 Federal Scientific Institutions (FSIs) under the supervision of the State Secretary for Federal Science Policy. It is therefore both a scientific institute and a museum.

On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, the new informal advisory body of the Minister of Science, Helena Langšádlová, consisting of young talented scientists, innovators, met for the first time. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík was invited to join this Advisory board as well.

Aleš Buček is a new project leader at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences. He is starting his Evolutionary Entomology research team in the Department of Sustainable Technologies with a 5-year funding from the highly competitive JUNIOR STAR GAČR fund. He is now recruiting two highly motivated PhD students and one Postdoc to work on research of evolutionary trends and trajectories in insects that convergently adapt to same environment selection pressures. Visit Aleš's web for more info on the position and his research.

Group leader of BRT Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík has been selected and rewarded by the Dean Prof. Patrick Van Damme and the members of Dean´s College for his contribution, both scientific and in terms of popularization of science.

The ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war is the most powerful and largest conflict in Europe since World War II. Since the beginning of the war, significant damage has been caused to the infrastructure of settlements, the agro-industrial complex, the state of the natural environment of Ukraine, etc. Natural objects suffer from explosions, fires, atypical emissions, loads, changing landscapes. The situation with waste in Ukraine was difficult even before the war, as a large volume of waste was not only in landfills but also in unauthorized areas. The problem remains in sorting and processing. This presentation shows the state of environment in Ukraine and problems of waste during the war time.

Please note that there is a vacant PhD-position in Remote Sensing for Soils at the Earth and Life Institute of UCLouvain (Belgium).

The international pre-incubation programme "Green HExagon" is open for applications. Apply till February 15th by following this link: https://greenhexagon.eu/apply/

The working group on Geomorphology and recent morphodynamics is looking for a research assistant / PhD student (f/m/d) on the topic “Sedimentary footprint of human and natural disturbances in the Upper Rhine Area”.

The UAI has opened its call for application for the Early Career Researcher Awards. In 2023, two prizes, worth 6000 euros each, will be awarded to support research during the calendar years 2024-2025. Applications are open to researchers who are holders of a PhD awarded no earlier than 1st January 2015 in the fields of science, philosophy, history of art, or archeology.

 In the last week of September 2023, Wednesday 27 ^th to Friday 29 ^th , Harokopio University and the Hellenic Mediterranean University are organising in Athens, the Rethink Food Resources, Loses, and Waste Conference, under the short title RETASTE 2023.

Dear students, colleagues, alumni, and FTA friends, Welcome to the sixth issue of Tropical News.

Our newsletter will give you a brief insight into the latest activities and international cooperation at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. 

This newsletter is distributed twice a year and we would like to inform all our current and future partners of the news from our faculty to create new opportunities for cooperation.
We will be happy to get you involved in FTA activities, so feel free to get in touch with us!

Thank you for your continued support!

You can find the Newsletter in the attached file below and previous Newsletters here.

DECEMBER 15TH at 11 am (CET). Discover our world-class Erasmus Mundus Master Programme in Global Forestry in a dedicated worldwide event!

Dear Colleague,

Please find enclosed the rules of the “Jean-Jacques and Berthe Symoens Prize for Tropical Limnology” which was set up in order to reward the author of a memoir of high scientific value with a prize of 2,500 €. Studies submitted for the 2023 prize should be sent to the secretariat of the Academy (av. Circulaire 3, 1180 Brussels) before 1 February 2023. Seven paper copies and one electronic version are required.

Any employee of FTA is eligible to be nominated for the award. Journal articles (popular articles, articles series), proceedings articles, books, book chapters, and monographs, pieces of art, patents, methodologies, organization of the seminar, conference or public events et cetera … copyrighted (organized) in last three years are eligible for the award. Nominations for the award may be made by anyone, including the author(s), but they may not be made anonymously and must include the signature of the nominee (author).  

on Tuesday, December 6th, 2022, at 11:00 AM, in room NFTZ 401. Topics: „Smallholder farmer's adoption of digital extension services“ and “The dual purposes of using of the Black Soldier Fly larvae as organic waste treatment and animal feeds: A Case Study in VietNam“

What's going on elsewhere while the FTA is having an open day? For example, there is a conference in Mostar, which is organised by FTA together with colleagues from the universities in Mostar: Dzemal Bijedic University of Mostar and University of Mostar.

Dear colleagues, Let us invite you to in-person seminars in English jointly entitled Gender Dimension in Horizon Europe. There are two parts of the seminar which can be taken separately, however, for a synergy effect, both are recommended. The lecturer is dr. Maxime Forest from Yellow Window with long-term experience. The details are provided below.

Please, register for each via EduPortal.

Feel free to share the invitation with your colleagues. 

Please, let us invite you to the workshop „Meet the FTA Project centre and FTA experts” which will take place on 20^th September 2022 from 10:00 to 12:00 at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences room no. 401, the event will be held in English.

Students, employees and others interested in projects are welcome.

The programme is attached.

We look forward to seeing you,

On behalf of the FTA Project centre

Tereza Žáková and Jan Staš

Interview with Prof. Dr. Phung Le Dinh, the Vice-Rector of HUAF. By Klára Jiřičná

The Talent Programme offers personal grants to talented, creative researchers. This enables them to conduct the research of their choice. The Talent Scheme has three funding instruments (Veni, Vidi, Vici) tailored to various phases in researchers' scientific careers. Researchers can apply for a maximum amount of 280,000 euros for Veni, 800,000 euros for Vidi, and 1.5 million euros for Vici. For more information about criteria visit the call of Veni, Vidi or Vici in the domain you want to submit your application.

A team of experts led by prof. Van Damme of FTA CZU published the final evaluation of FAO’s Action Against Desertification that mainly operated under the Great Green Wall initiative and was implemented in 2014-2020 aiming at tackling environmental impacts linked to drought and desertification in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Fiji, the Gambia, Haiti, the Niger, Nigeria and Senegal (partly during the COVID-19 pandemic).

The evaluation involved online and face-to-face interviews, field visits in 8 countries allowing for direct observation of land restoration and livelihood activities and came to the following conclusions.

The Government of the Czech Republic offers scholarships within the framework of its Foreign Development Assistance in support of the study of foreign nationals from developing countries listed below at public institutions of higher education in the Czech Republic. The deadline for submitting applications for the academic year 2023/2024 is on 30 September 2022.

 We are pleased to inform you that the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences is organizing on Monday, 12 December 2022, the fifth Young Researchers Overseas Day in the Palace of the Academies, 1000 Brussels. Please find attached the Call for contributions. The deadline for abstract submission is 3 October 2022.

It´s all about new beginnings for all the fresh graduates at the FTA. 75 BSc and MScs students of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences marched into the CZU AULA on June 23 to receive their diplomas. This year´s graduation provided a dignified opportunity to get together and celebrate the success after a difficult period of pandemic that would not allow students from different parts of the world to meet in person or even arrive in the Czech Republic to the faculty to enter the newly opened faculty building and experience friendly multicultural environment first hand.

Dear students, colleagues, alumni, and FTA friends, Welcome to the fifth issue of Tropical News. Our newsletter will give you a brief insight into the latest activities and international cooperation at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

...which will take place during 14 – 16 September 2022, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic Can agroecological farming feed the world? Farmers' and academia's views

In recent weeks, FTA representatives Ing. Iva Kučerová, PhD and Sára Šebrlová visited the Arba Minch region in Ethiopia within the development project titled “Arba Minch Fruit Value Chain, Gamo zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia” implemented by Mendel University in Brno in cooperation with FTA, funded by the Czech Development Agency.

The Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences has again prepared a program within the framework of the Garden Fest of ČZU Alumni and Friends. You can enjoy tours of the laboratories (Herbarium and Molecular Genetics) and the FTA Botanical Garden, we will show you the collection of termites and tropical botany.

With great pleasure, we invite you to the 6th Annual Meeting on Plant Ecology and Evolution (AMPEE6) on Thursday, 29 September 2022 at Meise Botanic Garden. The meeting will be jointly organized with the COBECORE meeting on Congo basin eco-climatological data recovery and valorisation.

Forum for Agriculture is coming up on May 18, 2022 organized by Forum for the Future of Agriculture with our expert, Assoc. Prof. Miroslava Bavorova as a speaker on session 2 ( starting at 12: 10) tackling the theme of „Integrating climate mitigation and biodiversity regeneration in food system transformation.“

DEAR COLLEAGUES! We invite scientists, teachers, doctoral students, graduate students, applicants, students, government officials and local governments, and business representatives to participate at the International Scientific and Practical Online-Conference "Economics for ecology" which will be held on May - June 31–01, 2022 in Sumy, Ukraine

You are invited to the 2^nd instalment of the GFAR Talks webinar series, showcasing informed debates on challenging and provocative topics related to agrifood system transformation. Organized in collaboration with YPARD and moderated by Prof. Sayed Azam-Ali OBE, this edition of GFAR T

This year Tropentag 2022 is organised by the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. All MSc and PhD students, scientists, extension workers, farmers

Dear Colleagues, we would like to inform you that the deadline for submission of abstracts for oral and poster presentations has been changed to May 15 and therefore we invite you to submit your papers or encourage your colleagues to do so. We would also like to draw your attention to the new opportunity to submit abstracts for project presentations. We are sure that this targeted activity will foster collaboration among institutions in the region. Individual elements of the scientific program are already presented on the congress website - please follow the information below.

Fruit processing methods were presented by Jan Staš (FTA employee, food processing expert) during a 10-day training for local farmers and future trainers within the project "iAGRO - Improving the agricultural value chain in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia" implemented by CCE Diaconia and supported by the Czech Development Agency.

The International Relations Office and the Office of Science, Research and Doctoral Studies of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences are launching a call for financial support of research stays abroad (internships).

On 31st of March (2022) the 1st Café Scientifique at FTA for PhD students was organized by Associate professor Hynek Roubík (Group leader of Biogas Research Team).

Dear colleagues, students and friends of the Faculty of Tropical Agriculture, this is reportedly the first FTA annual report with a foreword in English. Rejoice and: boom drumbeat! (as Flemish poet, writer and Dada artist Paul van Ostaijen wrote in 1920).

Five representatives of the Prince of Songkla University (PSU) visited CZU between 21st – 25th March 2022. The visit was based on long-term cooperation and previous projects with FTA within Erasmus+ projects such as: EURASIA 2, ALFABET, AskAsia, SIMPLE and PISAI.

The Double degree Master study programme “Agricultural Sciences and Farming Systems in the Tropics and Subtropics” is the first Double degree (DD) programme offered by the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences. It is the unique opportunity for students to simultaneously receive two Master degrees in the area of „Agricultural Sciences and Farming Systems in the Tropics and Subtropics“ in only 2 years and thus enhance their position in the European and Czech labour market. The main objective of the DD programme is to enable students to profit from the different background of teaching and research of the partner universities in the area of tropical agriculture. In addition to the existing single degree programme “Tropical Farming Systems”, the double degree shall offer an additional benefit for the students by an increased selection of modules offered on tropical agriculture, the acquirement of soft skills in different teaching environments as well as cultural backgrounds and performing scientific work under the supervision of two academics from two different universities. Students will benefit from the elective modules at the host university that are more focused on environment, resource efficiency, aspects of developing countries and interdisciplinary work.

The Competition is held in three areas: agronomy, technology of production and processing of livestock products, agroengineering. The Competition is held in two stages: the first (in home HEIs) - October 2021 - March 2022; the second (on the basis of MNAU) - April 2022 - June 2022.

The mood of impoverished farmers in an election period can tremendously affect or spoil data collection activities. The situation becomes more complex in view of the covid-19 pandemic which greatly limits interactions among the farmers and the researchers.

The call for abstracts to participate in the 5 World Congress on Agroforestry 2022: Transitioning to a Viable World is still open for posters presented in the form of either a printed poster displayed on-site or of a short video; the deadline has been extended to February 28, 2022.

You can register for the study exchange programme Erasmus+ by uploading of the documents mentioned below by 11.2.2022, 23:59 to https://1url.cz/@Erasmus_Apps

To discuss this issue Fairtrade Belgium is inviting you to a webinar on February 10^th between 11h30 and 13h. During the webinar we will reflect together with banana farmers, experts, civil society organizations, public sector and the industry

Are you ready to look into the future of cropping systems, meet fellow agricultural students and go on (real-life) excursions? During the International Conference for Youth in Agriculture 2022 (ICYA22)

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 8,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. 

Dear Reader, Welcome to the fourth issue of Tropical News. Our Newsletter provides a brief insight into the latest updates about activities and international cooperation at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

The following author has been selected and rewarded by the Dean Prof. Patrick Van Damme and the members of Dean´s College as the best publication of 2021. Dr. Černá Bolfíková for her article in the scientific journal Nature.

The Department of Plant Breeding conducts research, education and innovation work of strategic importance for society's long-term supply of food, industrial raw materials and energy, and to meet an

After a one-year break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the second Multidisciplinary Conference for Young Researchers was successfully organised on 29-30th of November 2021. This time in Sumy, Ukraine. And the theme of the conference was up-to-date: Sustainable Development Trends and Challenges under COVID-19.

CASEE Secretariat is happy to announce that we have opened online submissions for abstracts for the 12^th CASEE Conference entitled "Sustainable agriculture in the context of climate change and digitalization" . The event will be hosted by the State Agrarian University of Moldova (Chisinau) on 22 – 24 June 2022 (the anticipated format of the conference is the physical meeting with face to face sessions).  

Our PhD students Marek Jelínek, Jan Staš and Eduardo Duque Dussán, along with Assoc. Prof. Hynek Roubík, travelled to Ukraine as delegates of the FTA under the scientific cooperation project "Strengthening scientific capacities and cooperation of Ukrainian universities in AgriSciences" supported by the Czech Development Cooperation via Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

Ginny was elected because of her active involvement in research, education, and activities benefiting the foreign students contributing to the motivation of those interested in studying in Prague.

Are you pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in a field related to agriculture? Do you want to tell us about your agricultural experience so far? Do you wish to share your agricultural perspectives and perceptions with others? YPARD, in collaboration with the AgriSciences platform and AGRINATURA, welcomes you to participate in our research essay e-competition!

Covid-19 regulations have become stricter in Belgium, so we have decided to go for a fully online version of our annual symposium of the Africa Platform of Ghent University Association. As you know, this year's focus is on the impact of climate change on people and nature in Africa.

Scientists from the FTA, CZU Prague call for help for Ebogo village in Cameroon. Donors can help to protect the endangered tropical forest, sustainable development of the local rural community and children's education in Ebogo and surrounding villages.

As part of the FTA OPEN DAY, organized to mark the 60th anniversary of its founding and held in the brand-new building of the Pavilion of Tropical AgriSciences, the new Belgian-born Dean Prof. Patrick Van Damme – was solemnly crowned with the Bone and Pineapple, having sworn the following:

Our employees Marie Kalousová, Barbora Černá Bolfíková, Iva Bernáthová, Stacy Hammond and Anna Chládová recently returned from Ethiopia where they conducted activities within the project “Publication and Research Activities Development for Education in Life Sciences at Hawassa University”.

In 2022, the Foundation fiat panis will once again announce its two science awards dealing with problems of food security in developing countries.

In August 2022 The International Horticultural Congress (www.ihc2022.org) will take place in Angers (France). The congress also aims to promote and reward young scientists  and launches thereto the international competition “My 3-Minute Horticultural Thesis”. 

FTA experts (Jan Staš, Radim Kotrba and Petr Pudil) just started the final phase of the project “Integrated Farming II” in Zambia by conducting the monitoring harvests of the fishponds.

International Symposium on Innovations in Ornamentals: from Breeding to Market. August 14-20, 2022 - Angers, France - www.ihc2022.org

CZU Prague smart digital ecosystem - improving life on campus using the potential of 5G. The hackathon is intended for all CZU Prague students across the faculties.

The call for abstracts to participate in the 5^th World Congress on Agroforestry 2022: Transitioning to a Viable World is still open; the deadline is November 15, 2021. You are warmly invited to submit an abstract of recent research, development project or innovative field work findings for either an oral or a poster presentation. The conference will take place in Québec City, Canada, on July 17-20, 2022. Virtual participation will also be possible. 

PhD students Dennis Kyereh and Marie Kalousová; from the Tropical Biodiversity Research Group (TBG) were in Cameroon for the implementation of the project entitled: “Morphological and genetic characterization of Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill.) Heckel in natural and domesticated populations in Cameroon”.

We would like to invite you to the Faculty Open Day at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences in Prague

The new book “Survey Design,” edited by Associate Professor Miroslava Bavorova, is intended to provide masters and doctoral students, as well as academic staff, with basic principles for designing and conducting quantitative questionnaire surveys.

The Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences cordially invites you to a public streaming of the virtual conference Tropentag 2021, 15.- 17. September 2021, Pavilion of Tropical AgriSciences, CZU

From 17 to 24 August 2021, a summer school called Host Plant Resistance Breeding took place in Alnarp, one of the 4 campuses of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) based in Uppsala. It was organized as part of the ESCAPAdE project - EraSmus Curricula in Applied PlAnt SciEnces, a European project funded by the European Union-funded Erasmus + Strategic partnership from September 2018 to August 2021

Presenter: Hans Verbeeck - UGent. COFOREC made operational a forest plot network for long-term ecological research on biodiversity and eco-system functioning in natural and reforested areas along a large environmental gradient in a highly diverse, strongly anthropogenic tropical landscape (Andean-Chocó). 

Not even the pandemic could stop members of the volleyball team of the Faculty of Tropical Agriculture of the CZU in Prague from participating in a beach volleyball tournament in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Each year YPARD partakes in the annual interdisciplinary conference on research in tropical and subtropical agriculture, natural resource management and rural development  “Tropentag” with an interactive workshop.

Globally, more people make their living from waste management than from any other sector, apart from farming. Nevertheless, somehow this massive sector is quite underrated and still not receiving enough attention. So, let´s change it!

On behalf of prof. Florin Stanica, the CASEE Board member, we are delighted to invite you to the One Health Student International Conference, held under the high patronage of the International Student One Health Alliance - ISOHA.

“What we have seen is that over time now, a number of crops that we equate with southern areas are also being at least tested in the Czech Republic.“ Read or listen to the full interview HERE.

Learn and understand the key concepts, processes and approaches, to the formulation of international decisions using Biotechnology as a case study for developing the needed skills.

The call for applications of the European Union’s African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence (ARISE) pilot programme is open. ARISE, launched in December 2020, will empower early career African scientists in delivering cutting-edge research across Africa.

A tornado such as Czechs know only from Hollywood movies swept through southern Moravia on the night of June 24 and, among other things, razed half of the HODONÍN ZOO...

The Laboratory of Plant Tissue Cultures at the Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry deals, among others, with in vitro mitotic polyploidization of medicinal plants.

YPARD developed a mentoring toolkit, available online and free of charge which takes you from the very first stages of your first mentoring program to the final ones.

Cameroon is a country of extremes and the fieldworks there, for sure, belong to the most challenging ones. The things work either extremely well, easy and smooth, or not at all. Working at such a sinusoid of ups and downs is indeed demanding and often exhausting.

Please find enclosed the announcement of the Theme Day 2021 on Monday, December 20^th organized by the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences.

We are pleased to invite you to join Summer Course with the theme of “Green Technology for Sustainable Tropical Agriculture”, which will be held on? August 16-28, 2021 Via Zoom Meeting

Dear Reader, Welcome to the third issue of Tropical News. Our Newsletter provides a brief insight into the latest updates about activities and international cooperation at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

The film festival will consist out of 4 sessions, where during each session on average 25 minutes of film will be shown, followed by a short 5-minute talk by one of our CELEP speakers and a 15-min Q&A round with the public (fully in English). The agenda is as follows (below hours are in Brussels time zone GMT+2, online the hours are in Nairobi time zone GMT+3):

Invitations to the State Doctoral Examinations of students of Sustainable Rural Development (SRD).

Experts from the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences launched 3 units of the CZU mobiLAB - a mobile laboratory for the detection of infectious diseases

 Novi Sad, Serbia 5th- 9th of July, 2021, The SS is intended for PhD and master studies, but also would be considered.

This year, for the first time, we will have several English-language sessions - come join us from wherever you happen to be!

In a special three-part podcast series, Energising Africa, SciDev.Net investigates progress towards electricity, infrastructure and internet access in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Let us kindly invite you to the On-Line Thematic Session: Activities of central and eastern EU countries in research and Innovation partnership with Africa as a part of Stakeholder engagement week that is organized within LEAP4FNSSA project

Let us invite you for the seminar of CAAEES, which will be held on May 18th, 2021. For more information please visit THIS PAGE.

On May 5, Prof. ir. Dr. Patrick Van Damme was inaugurated as the new Dean of the Faculty of Tropical Agriculture CZU. He was appointed to the office by the CZU rector Prof. Petr Sklenička and replaced Prof. Jan Banout.

Dear colleagues, It is my pleasure to invite you for contributions to a new special issue of the journal Symmetry (JIF=2.645, Q2 in Multidisciplinary Sciences) with the topic “Fluctuating Asymmetry in Ungulates”, for which I will be guest editor together with Dr. Roberta Chirichella from the University of Sassari, Italy.

The team from the CZU, namely Vladimír Verner, Radim Kotrba, Zbyněk Polesný, Jan Staš from FTZ and Miloslav Petrtýl from FAPPZ, is currently conducting fieldwork in the Western Province of Zambia. The activities are realized in the frame of implementation of two development projects, namely "Integrated Farming II" led by Mendel University in Brno and "Agribussines4LIFE “ led by Charita Czech Republic.

Every year each Section of the Academy puts two questions forward on specific subjects. Each award-winning work in the yearly competition is granted a prize of 2,500 EUR.

The Faculty of Tropical Agriculture, in cooperation with the Czech Evaluation Society, is organizing an international conference focused on theories and practice in evaluations. Expert contributions include both research and evaluation methods, as well as the implementation and impact of evaluations in "evidence-based" policy evaluation. This year's conference topic is focused on "Approaches to data and people".

There are currently three funding opportunities that might be interesting for African adaptation practitioners.

The call for abstracts for the 2^nd International Agrobiodiversity Congress – Agrobiodiversity for food system transformation, is now open. The Congress, scheduled for 15 to 18 November 2021, will focus on the role that agrobiodiversity can play in positively changing our food systems. The deadline for abstract submission is 30 June 2021.

The Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) is looking for international experts in different scientific fields to strengthen its expert panels. These panels meet once or twice a year in Brussels to evaluate research proposals submitted by researchers in Flanders. Panel members are top experts in their discipline(s) as well as generalists able to evaluate research proposals in their wider field of study.

We are warmly inviting You to the dissertation thesis defence of student Ing. Tereza Slámová

Do not miss out our Prof. Kokoška on the upcoming panel on the Biological and Pharmacological Activity of Plant Natural Compounds

Safe the date! This online seminar will be held on Wednesday 12 May 2021 from 10 am to 1 pm. Participation is free of charge. More info and registrations will follow soon.

Did you know nature is one of our best defences for adapting to climate change? This brand-new funding opportunity is now scaling up Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) across the world. 

Hynek was born on January 26th, 1991, in the Prague Czech Republic. His passion for agriculture started at a very early age. As a child he would help his family in their home garden where they would grow vegetables, potatoes and other crops, this experience leads him to pursue a career in agriculture.

The virtual edition of Plant Science for Climate Emergency is taking place on 7-8 June 2021. This conference is organized by VIB, a non-profit life sciences research institute in Belgium and a world leader for advanced plant sciences. 

This webinar is part of the trilateral webinar series Domestic Extremism and the Threat to Democracy, organised by Ghent University, the University of the Western Cape and the University of Missouri. See this page for the entire series.

Watch the video in which you can see how our CZU mobiLAB is built and much more...

Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences about the World Agriculture Prize. 

We are warmly inviting You to the dissertation thesis defence of student Ing. Lukáš Pawera

We cordially invite you and your colleagues to participate in our incoming academic  International Conference on Climate Change and The Built Environment to be held on the 5th August 2021. Please find more information in our website: https://icccs.unud.ac.id/

Information about conference Bioeconomy and Circular Economy which will be held in English, online on 16th March 2021. More information and registration via link below. 

In March 2021, Prof. Patrick Van Damme became the second dean of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (FTA) but the first dean ever as a foreign national in the history of the Czech University of Life Sciences.

We are warmly inviting You to the dissertation thesis defenses of students Ing. Lucie Stoklasová and student Bilal Kabeer.

The Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences has a wide representation of development projects in Ethiopia under the auspices of the Czech Development Agency. However, in cooperation with Mendel University in Brno, we primarily solve two projects implemented in the vicinity of the cities of Arba Minch and Awassa. These are "Implementation of a Fruit Value Chain for Improved Nutrition and Efficient Production in Arba Minch Zuria" and "Protection of Awassa Lake through Sustainable Management of Surrounding Area".

It's a great honour for us to inform you, that our professor Pavla Hejcmanova become a "Guest Editor" in journal Forests - Special Issue “Human-Wildlife Conflict and Wildlife Conservation in Forests and Plantations”

As a student, the ability to create a succinct yet compelling narrative about your work is an invaluable skill. By effectively translating complex/technical research into accessible language, you can better inform, educate, and inspire your audience. Especially in these uncertain times of COVID-19 where there is not much opportunity to talk about your research face-to-face. Sharing your research story through blogs and social media is a creative way to keep colleagues, friends, family, and the general audience informed about your research.

One of the goals of this group of projects is to motivate excellent Czech scientists who have long-term international experience, and are in the early stages of their careers, to carry out their own “Excellence Project” at an institution in the Czech Republic for the duration of the Project, i.e. 3 years.

The Danubius Award was created in 2011 by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Research (BMBFW) and the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) with the intention to honour individuals with extraordinary achievements in their scientific activity and output in relation to the Danube Region.

We would like to invite you to our first online staff week From May 18^th to 20^th 2021

Assoc. prof. Jan Šobotník of FTZ ČZU explores the role of immune gene expression in the lifestyle of termites in his recent publication for the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

A team of international scientists from CZU, led by Prof. Ladislav Kokoška working with Samoan Ph.D. student Julian Wong Soon from Osaka University found healing effects of two local species of Samoan nutmeg (Myristica hypargyraea and Myristica inutilis) against staphylococcus aureus and colon cancer cells.

A new year of the conference Science of Youth is knocking on the door! Like most events, we also brought this conference to the online space.

The 1st International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Aquaculture (ICSAA) for Well Being and Food Security was organized by the Faculty of Natural Resources, Prince of Songkla University in Thailand on 11 and 12 January 2021. The conference was organized with the support of PISAI project and FTA is the active partner of this project financed by the Erasmus+ programme.

The postdoc position is offered for 10 months for applicants from all over the world, out of the Czech Republic. The position starts from 1st September 2021 and finishes on 30th June 2022.

You can register for the study exchange programme Erasmus+ by sending the documents mentioned below by February 12th, 2021, 11:59 AM to e-mail hummelova@ftz.czu.cz

Read the interview with our alumni Ing. Dalibor Sýkorovský (not only) about his project True Shiitake

Welcome to the second issue of Tropical News. Our Newsletter will give you a brief insight into the latest updates about activities and international cooperation at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

On behalf of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, we are very glad and honored to invite your students to participate in the international “CASEE Online Winter School 2021

The Department for Science and Research announces the FTA Dean's Award for the best publication or popularization output of FTA employees

The Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague introduces a concept of mobile laboratories, CZU mobiLAB. CZU mobiLAB is ready for use in humans and veterinary medicine for the identification of any infectious agents based on nucleic acid detection in sampled individuals. The concept of CZU mobiLAB can be used in inaccessible areas of the developing world and at the same time offers solutions for developed countries in case of reaction to an unexpected threat.

The International Relations Office and the Office of Science, Research and Doctoral Studies of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences are launching a call for financial support of research stays abroad (internships).

What has gone wrong? Dr. Jiří Černý, a leading virologist at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences at Czech University of Life Sciences gave an interview to Deutsche Welle, a global English-language news and information channel, explaining the recent surge of coronavirus in the Czech Republic.

As part of the project “Arba Minch Fruit Value Chain”, three FTA representatives (Anna Maňourová, William Nkomoki and Jan Staš) together with experts from Mendel University in Brno went to Ethiopia to kick-off a new four-year development project. Its aim is improvement of the knowledge and skills of local farmers, diversifying the local fruit production, opening new business opportunities for farmers and last but not least on the reduction of post-harvest losses. 

All courses at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (FTA) from September 29, 2020, will be organized as distance teaching (online lecturing).

FTA would like to invite you to public streaming of the virtual conference Tropentag 2020, at Aula CZU

Start: Wednesday 9 September, 12:30

Check-in will be available from 15th of September for mid-term and long-term stays. 4 types of rooms, 35 minutes from the CZU campus, private bathroom, silent study rooms and other benefits for you. Online application and other information with photos on the website 

We are happy to invite you to the European Innovation Fest - Online event which takes place on the 14th, 15th and 16th of September 2020.

The inter-departmental commission appointed by the Dean's Board of the FTA selected the following best Master’s thesis of students from the AFS, WLM, SRD, IDAE, TCME and TFA programs.

The Telegraph interviewed leading health experts in the US, Germany and the Czech Republic including our virologist Dr. Jiri Cerny on the new polls that showed a great deal of scepticism towards a coronavirus vaccine.

Welcome to the first issue of Tropical News. Our Newsletter will give you a brief insight into the latest updates about activities and international cooperation at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

Take a look through photographs and video in Benin, where our doctoral student Zuzana Holubová is on an internship for almost half a year, and where she is also collecting data for her dissertation thesis.

Do you know what is happening at FTA laboratories? Check it out here

The CZU Prague placed first in the Czech Republic in the THE Impact Ranking 2020. In the overall ranking, CZU was ranked 201st - 300th in the world. A total of 766 universities from all over the world successfully participated in THE Impact Ranking this year.

The cooperation between our faculty and ICRAF (World Agroforestry Centre) is the logical outcome of more than two decades of research and development of agroforestry projects in various regions of the world

Due to the ongoing State of Emergency and the necessary measures in place for the COVID-19 pandemic, some changes have to be made to the academic year schedule. It is clear to us that the current situation increases the tension and stress to which you are exposed, so we aim to ensure that you - the students - are able to successfully complete the academic year.

Regarding the current situation with the spread of COVID-19, the date of the Final State Examinations (FSE) at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (FTA) has changed.

Upon his return from a research trip in Cameroon, tropical entomologist and new associate professor at our faculty, Jan Šobotník, had mixed feelings: on the one hand, he had seen a catastrophic decline in termite populations in the forest, on the other, however, the group collected many new termophile insects, yet unknown to science.

A  new state-of-the art facility called “the green building“ will be the latest expansion of the campus of the Czech Life Science University (CZU). Prospective students of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences interested in the fields of tropical agriculture and developing countries can enjoy the new premises as of this fall semester. The facility will offer top-notch technologies and space for scientific research.

It's a great honour for us to inform you, that our professor Ladislav Kokoška from the Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry become a "Special Issue Editor" in journal Molecules.

In this paper, we describe research into the biochemical processes of brown coal treatment. s. The modified biochemical model was formed from a complex biological treatment of low-rank coals with an added cycle of aerobic conversion and the process of converting a sulphur compound under anaerobic conditions, as well as a number of ecological-trophic groups of microorganisms.

Perhaps even more interesting than the number of giraffes is their coexistence with people and livestock in the "tiger bush". Giraffe here are in permanent contact with people, their crops and livestock.

Dr. Hynek Roubík (Group leader of our Biogas Research Team) has been appointed as member of the Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Invitation to the State Doctoral Examination of student Azamat Azarov, MBA which will take place on 10th February 2020 (Monday) in Pavilon T, room no. 116 at 10:00 AM.

Offer of scholarship programs for PhD students in France.

A year of hard work has paid off. CZU ranked 31st in the Green Metric World University Rankings, and is thus one of the world leaders in terms of consideration for the environment.

Check the new research paper on the dynamic complexity of biogas technology. You can read it here.

In November 2019, our Biogas Research Team co-organized conference in Bila Tserkva (Ukraine).

On Monday, December 9, 2019, the University of Mostar with University of Džemal Bijedič (Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina) in cooperation with FTA organized Scientific Day.

FTA organized the second annual international scientific conference for young scientists and students, which was held on 5 December 2019 at the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) in Cambodia.

FTZ representatives organized “Project Management Training - Preparation of the EU Projects and HR Awards” at the partner universities in Ukraine - Sumy National Agrarian University, Sumy State University, Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University as part of the project “Support for young university capacities in the field of quality of education and scientific and research activities in Ukraine”.

The first project meeting took part in Brussels in October, 14, 2019. Dr. Miroslava Bavorová, from FTA CULS, participated at the meeting as a Member of Management Committee and representative of the Czech Republic.

Call for absract extended till 25th October 2019!

Read about impressive research of our PhD student Anna Bernátková who just came back from her research activities in Mongolia.

Conference Tropentag 2019 with topic "Filling gaps and removing traps for sustainable resources management" was held on September 18th - 20th at Universities of Kassel and Goettingen, Germany.

In recognition of her contribution and dedication to the advancements and improvements of higher education beyond the field of her expertise, and to honour her valuable outputs, the Council of the Prince of Songkla University in the Meeting 407, held on June 1, 2019, unanimously agreed to award an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Tropical Agricultural Resource Management to Dr. Petra Chaloupková. The awarding ceremony took place in the Convention Hall of the Prince of Songkla University in Hat Yai on September 8, 2019. Dr. Chaloupková was honoured to receive the degree from Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn, who – being scientist herself – has founded a research institute and give lectures at Mahidol University in Bangkok. Due to the presence of a member of royal family at the ceremony, a spot from the handover was on Thai national TV in the prime time news.

This year, CULS students had another opportunity to attend the 2nd Summer School in Thailand for the MODULE 1 of this project on the topic of Value Chain Management, thanks to the cooperation of this project. 

The collaboration of staff and students of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences to save the Western Derby eland in Senegal will soon turn its twenties...

International Scholarship Exchange of PhD candidates and Academic Staff - fully covered

Call for participants - Summer school at Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University with topic "Research in practice - Waste management", 22th – 31th August, 2019

Summer School on Risk Analysis and Management in Agriculture (Wageningen, 26-30 August, 2019).

Members of our faculty participated in World Congress on Agroforestry 2019, which was held in Motpelier, France from 19th to 22th May 2019.

Embarking on an extraordinary scientific expedition, a team of dedicated researchers from the Faculty of Tropical Agrisciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, namely prof Tobolka (Laboratory of Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology (LEE)), doc Hajný (Link) Dr George Black (Link) and Dr Little Cottage (link).

We are inviting you to join GALAXY workshop organized by Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences which will be held on 3rd May, 2019, FFWS, CULS, Prague.

The Local Organising Committee (two members from FTA) cordially invites you to the 16^th Congress of the European Association of Agricultural Economists, EAAE. 

The Congress will take place in Prague – Czech Republic, from Tuesday, August 25until Friday, August 28, 2020.

Deadline: April, 24th 2019, 

Lenght: 3-6 months, 

Stipendium: 1.350 - 2.000 EUR / month

Call for papers for Special Issue on: "Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Climate Change" with Dr. Hynek Roubík (Group leader of our Biogas Research Team) acting as Guest Editor in the International Journal of Global Energy Issues journal.

The Centre of Expertise for Cooperative Entrepreneurship (KCO) of KU Leuven, Belgium is looking for 5 full-time PhD students to pursue research on cooperatives in various areas of business economics and management. Please disseminate this information among those who might be interested in. More detailed information is in the attached file.

Call for Papers. We are pleased to announce that “World Conference on Sustainable Life Science (WOCOLS 2019)” will be held in Budapest, Hungary on June 30- July 07, 2019.

We would like to invite you to the mentoring programme for early career researchers (PhD students and postdocs), which is coordinated by the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

The first call for fellowship applications has just started and will run until 30 April 2019. It is focused on studying ancient plant varieties to develop tasty, nutritious food as well as alternatives to proteins from dairy. “Plant-based, protein-rich raw materials have enormous potential for new foods that can contribute to a balanced diet and reduce consumption of animal-based dietary components while also reducing the impact on the environment,” says Mathys.

 Tropentag 2019 - Call for papers! Topic: ''Filling gaps and removing traps for sustainable resources development''

The aim of the research is to determine the size and range of the leopard population, their habitat and food preferences. 

In the recent paper authored by Dr. Hynek Roubík (group leader of Biogas Research Team) and Dr. Jana Mazancová were researched biogas appliances with a focus on a flue gas analysis of biogas cook stoves.

For the last two years members of our Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences have been lecturing a summer school on “livestock-wildlife interactions”, organised by the NGO People in Need. This initial contact finally lead to signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the National University of Mongolia,

The physical castration of male livestock is currently under scrutiny due to its detrimental effects on animal welfare and thus alternative solutions to controlling behaviour and meat quality are desperately required within the animal production industry.

We would like to invite you to the 9^th International Scientific Conference “RURAL DEVELOPMENT 2019:Research and Innovation for Bioeconomy“, which will take place in Kaunas, Lithuania, 26-28^th September, 2019.

 GEOLINKS Conference, Novotel Athens, 26th - 29th March 2019.

We would like to inform you about extended deadline for submission of abstracts for 10^th CASEE Conference in Sarajevo, June 12 – 15, 2019. 

Staff team from CULS Prague, FTA and FAFNR, is helping with implementation of three development projects funded by the Czech Development Agency, in cooperation with Caritas Czech Republic, University of Barotseland,

Conference Tropentag took place in Ghent, Belgium from 17th to 19th September 2018 and our faculty represented in high number of participants. 

Hynek Roubík from our #BiogasResearchTeam – the youngest editorial board member of Journal of Ecological Engineering - became the youngest editorial board member of Journal of Vietnamese Environment.

Invitation to the disertation thesis defenses of students Ing. Markéta Houdková a Ing. Andreas Romulo.

Author: Markéta Swiacká. During August, in Chicago there was held the very first international conference focused on conservation of pangolins which was organized by the Chicago Zoological Society in Brookfield Zoo.

Invitation to the disertation thesis defenses of students Ing. Hynek Roubík a Ing. et Ing. William Nkomoki.

Public defesne of dissertation thesis will take place on 17th July 2018, at 11.00 am, in room no. 116

25 th June 2018 - Ing. Markéta Houdková, M.Sc. Andreas Romulo, Ing. Nikola Teutscherová 26 th June 2018 - Ing et Ing. Anna Kubátová, Ing. Jana Humelová, Ing Jitka Straková, Ing. Rubén Casas Reátegui

M.Sc. Abid Mehmood - 29th of June 2018 (friday), 13:00, pav. T/116 
M.Sc. Bilal Kabeer - 29th of June 2018 (friday), 14:30, pav. T/116

25. - 26. 9. 2018

ČZU v Praze/ CULS Prague

Date: November 9th-10th, 2018

Location: Orion, Wageningen Campus

Ing. et Ing. William Nkomoki, Ing. Hynek Roubík, Ing. Alexandru Muntean, Ing. Sayfullo Akhmedov

Wroclav University of Environmental and Life Sciences

17. - 18. 5. 2018

'Global food security and food safety: The role of universities'

organised by Ghent University (Ghent, Belgium),

September 17-19, 2018

June 19th, 2018 in Krakow, Poland

June 18- 22, 2018

June 20-21, 2018

Rome, Italy

Advanced in Solar Thermal Food Processing

22. - 24.1.2018

Portugal

Stacy Denise Hammond Hammond, MSc. from Dept. of Crop Sciences  and Agroforestry successfully presented the results of her research at the Conference Tropentag 2017 in Bonn 

"1st International Conference on Food, Environment and Culture"

Philippines

Ing. Anna Hubáčková

WHEN: 29th of June 2017, 8:30

WHERE: FTA, Pav. T/137

Cultural and social implications of global change on the Danube River Basin

Krems, Austria July 14th – 21st

BCFN YES! (Young Earth Solutions) is an international competition for young researchers from all over the world.

WHEN: Monday May 15th, 9:00, 10:30, 13:00

WHERE: CULS Prague, Rectorate building, room no.110

Tartu, Estonia

April 18 - 20

Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia,

August 20-24, 2017

IAC 2016

November 6-9, 2016 in New Delhi, India

BOKU Vienna, Austria, 

September 18-21, 2016