Agricultural and food industry

The safeguarding of food security requires innovative agricultural systems

An expanding world population, the climate crisis and geopolitical instability present enormous challenges to our current agricultural systems. The safeguarding of reliable food security with simultaneous compliance with the necessary ecological standards and economic boundary conditions therefore urgently necessitates new solutions. The development of decentralized and resilient agricultural production systems for the safeguarding of food production can provide a significant contribution towards sustainable crisis management for the population. At the Fraunhofer IST, we are developing – in collaboration with partners from industry and science – new technologies in order to meet these challenges.

Utilization of ozonated water and plasma technologies for the disinfection of soils, seeds, plants and tools

In the field of plant cultivation and vegetable processing, the Fraunhofer IST is researching new solutions for the utilization of ozonated water, for example for the disinfection of cultivation systems, for the prevention of biofouling, for pest control, and for the chemical-free cleaning of tools for the processing of agricultural products. In addition to direct field trials, a research greenhouse on our campus with hydroponic systems as well as a mobile backpack system for on-demand nebulization of ozonated water (OzoDis) enable testing to take place under real environmental conditions.

Development of specific technologies for regional requirements

Regional and/or decentralized solutions are increasingly becoming the focus of attention, as they offer very good opportunities with which modern high-tech agricultural production can be achieved with increasing security of supply at regional and supra-regional level. Please do not hesitate to contact us on this topic!