As the RUNRES project enters its second phase of developing and now upscaling innovations for circular economies in the rural-​urban nexus, private-​public-partnerships will continue to play an important role.

ETH-Alumni Joan Oñate Narciso shares how her work on kabog millet with communities in Cebu, Philippines has left a lasting impression on her life.

A significant amount of the carbon (C) assimilated in photosynthesis by trees is re-emitted to the atmosphere via the respiratory CO2 flux of roots. Because of technical constraints, we have little understanding of the extent and dynamics of the respiratory CO2 flux of roots at the total root system scale (RCF). This study aimed to fill this gap and to quantify the daily C budget of entire trees. Aeroponics was used as a novel approach to measure directly and simultaneously RCF and the net CO2 flux of the entire shoot (SCF).

Most agricultural soils have ample total phosphorus (P) reserves but are very low in plant-available fractions for optimal productivity. This study gives insights into technologies, which increase the labile P concentrations and reduce the potential depletion of the non-renewable rock phosphate and the use of inorganic phosphatic fertilizers for agricultural production.