| Mission |
Plant Production Systems is one of the 17 chair groups of the Department of Plant Sciences of Wageningen University. The principal scientific goal of the Plant Production Systems group is the integration of knowledge to allow analysis and design of new approaches to the dual goals of sustainable production systems: optimal production of crops and livestock combined with optimal management of natural resources in their broadest sense. We develop tools and methodologies that allow analysis and design of alternative future scenarios at local (farm), regional, national, international and global scales. A special emphasis is on the use of modelling tools, although field oriented and experimental work is also performed as an essential part of testing of our concepts. Much of our work uses comparative approaches which we apply in large interdisciplinary projects such as N2Africa, SEAMLESS, AfricaNUANCES and Competing Claims on Natural Resources. Our prime scientific themes are: 1. Coupling fundamental processes in systems analysis; 2. Analysis and design of crop-livestock systems; 3. Designing the future - linking systems analyses to policy; 4. Problems of our changing world - Global change and future challenges. Societal issues that play a key role in our projects are global food security, biofuel production, climate change and resource use efficiency. The Plant Production Systems group is responsible for a wide range of courses, from introductory courses to advanced postgraduate specialist subjects. All courses have a modular set-up and use a variety of teaching methods: lectures, practicals, computer-based tools, discussion groups, etc. For this position the systems analysis courses are particularly relevant. The group has a strong international profile and collaborates with many partners across the world. Our website provides a good overview of activities: http://www.pps.wur.nl/UK. The Plant Production Systems group is part of the Wageningen Centre for Agro-ecology and |
