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Pioneering food security and sustainable agriculture: Justus Liebig University Giessen presents EU-project UPSCALE at the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) Innovation Fair
How can food security and resilience to climate change be strengthened in the sub-Saharan region of East Africa while reducing the negative environmental impacts of agricultural practices? This question is being addressed by the UPSCALE project, coordinated by Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) and funded by the European Union (EU) as part of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. In collaboration with farmers, the project team is working to expand push-pull technology, an agroecological intensification strategy that promotes climate resilience and strengthens food security. The UPSCALE project brings together 19 partner institutions from 10 countries to employ participatory and transdisciplinary frameworks that consider the ecological, economic, and sociological aspects of agriculture.
Push-pull technology is an integrated farming system that pushes insect pests from the main crop using repellent volatiles emitted by intercrops (the “push”) and simultaneously lures them away with attractant volatiles released by border crops (the “pull”). This mixed cropping approach combines cereals, legumes, and companion plants to increase crop yields, improve soil fertility, control pests and weeds, improve livelihoods, and increase resilience to climate change.
"In the UPSCALE project, we have already achieved important successes that have increased the flexibility and adaptability of the technology, for example, by integrating the system into legume, agroforestry, and high-value vegetable cropping systems," says Prof. Dr. Emily Poppenborg Martin from the Institute of Animal Ecology and Systematics at JLU, who coordinates the project. "We have also been able to show how and where push-pull agroecology innovations can be scaled most effectively."
The project was recently presented among four selected AU-EU Projects in the field of Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) at the AU–EU Innovation Fair 2025, held on 23 October in Brussels. "This recognition honors the strong scientific basis and practical impact of the project and enables us to take the next step in scaling up our ideas," said Prof. Poppenborg Martin. She presented the Push-Pull PLUS innovation and scaling package to around 950 investors, stakeholders, and policymakers. "This event was an excellent opportunity to connect UPSCALE and JLU with various international networks and a further step in reaffirming JLU's commitment to research and cooperation between the EU and African countries." The AU–EU Innovation Fair brings together leading researchers and entrepreneurs to highlight impactful innovations in sustainable agriculture and food security.
The UPSCALE project was launched in 2020 and will run until April 2026. A cornerstone of the project’s approach is its use of Multi-Actor Communities – participatory platforms that bring together farmers, researchers, and policymakers to collaborate and learn together. This bottom-up approach has strengthened the adoption and sustainability of push–pull technology and plays a key role in UPSCALE’s broader vision of integrating agroecological principles into national and regional agricultural systems.
Prof. Dr. Emily Poppenborg Martin
Animal Ecology Working Group
Institute of Animal Ecology and Systematics
Justus Liebig University Giessen
Email: Emily.Poppenborg@allzool.bio.uni-giessen.de
Prof. Dr. Emily Poppenborg Martin with Dr. Amanuel Tamiru (International Center for Insect Physiolog ...
Quelle: E. Poppenborg
Copyright: E. Poppenborg
Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
Journalisten
Biologie, Tier / Land / Forst
überregional
Forschungsprojekte, Kooperationen
Englisch
Prof. Dr. Emily Poppenborg Martin with Dr. Amanuel Tamiru (International Center for Insect Physiolog ...
Quelle: E. Poppenborg
Copyright: E. Poppenborg
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