We are well prepared for a globalised future

”Imagine all the people sharing all the world.” 

When John Lennon wrote these words for his famous song ”Imagine” about peace and tolerance on earth, he hit the nail on the head of what we now call globalisation. Like it or not, globalisation – like climate change – has arrived and is something that we need to learn to deal with together with the rest of the world’s citizens. 

”Imagine there’s no countries … the world will be as one.” 

Globalisation breaks down barriers between people and countries, but is more than just love and peace. Globalisation provides us with food, fashion and fun from all over the world and can create growth and satisfy hunger. However, globalisation can also lead to crime, crisis and conflict. We must realise that Denmark is not an isolated society with no input from the outside world and no effects or influence on others.   

Danish agriculture is not alone in the world

Agriculture experiences the pros and cons of globalisation to a great degree. This is where AGRO plays an important role. The effect of Danish agriculture on the climate and aquatic environment does not recognize national boundaries. Danish farming is therefore subject to EU regulations – and Danish agriculture must simply to learn to live with that fact.   

In AGRO we contribute to finding solutions that can create a more sustainable agriculture in which a healthy environment, efficient food production and profitability go hand in hand. We must help the agricultural sector to understand that aiming for sustainability is not a constraint. Globalisation is something that can create growth, exports and new employment opportunities for Denmark. 

The pros and cons of globalisation are not only valid for agriculture. I am therefore pleased to note that we will be discussing globalisation at the next management seminar for ST’s department heads. The dean does well to bring the topic on the agenda. 

Open competition for policy support tasks

One of AGRO’s and ST’s current challenges is the impending open competition for bids on policy support tasks. I believe this is a natural consequence of globalisation. It is not carved in stone that only Danish universities can provide our ministry with knowledge and it is understandable that the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark is weighing how the agreement is implemented.   

Whether we win the bid for the tasks or not depends to a great extent on how clever we are. I do not doubt for a minute that we are at the forefront in that regard. In AGRO we carry out excellent research in the areas in which the ministry demands policy support and we receive positive feedback on the tasks that we deliver. We have a strong international profile and contribute significantly to Aarhus University’s high ranking on international lists regarding agricultural research. We are centrally placed in many international networks in Europe in key areas such as climate and IPM, and we are good at attracting EU funding, such as H2020 projects.   

Read “New times ahead for European weed management”. 

This does not mean that we cannot improve ourselves or that we are the only ones who can solve the tasks. We can use this opportunity to examine our work more closely and see if there are areas in which we can do things even better – or in collaboration with others.   

Globalisation and technology go hand in hand

Globalisaton is driven by new technology. Just think about the huge impact that the Internet and social media have had on life’s many aspects all over the world, including our connections to each other. Just as globalisation has advantages and disadvantages, so does technology. New technology can replace certain work functions and lead to unemployment. On the other hand, technology can create new and different types of employment or ease hard manual labour or monotonous work.  

In the agricultural sector new technology can contribute to increasing sustainability in a range of areas. This could for example be in the form of increased precision that can reduce the use of nutrients, fuel and pesticides. Another example is development of new ways in which to use biomass, which can promote the circular bioeconomy. 

AGRO is on the technology highway with regard to research, innovation and political influence. The latest item on that avenue is that Senior Researcher Uffe Jørgensen from KLIMA has been appointed a seat on the government’s National Bioeconomy Panel in his capacity as leader of Aarhus University’s Centre for Circular Bioeconomy.     

Read ” Aarhus University contributes to positioning Denmark as a bioeconomic growth centre”. 

Another example of how strong we are with regard to technological development is our new professor Ole Green from the company Agrointelli. He has been appointed Honorary Professor in technology and intelligent solutions for sustainable soil management. 

Read ”New honorary professor with an eye to future farming”. 

This collaboration is a perfect illustration of how good we are at carrying out research in technology and transferring the knowledge that we create to innovative products that can be used in the real world to increase the sustainability of agriculture.   

With regard to both globalisation and technology, it is advantageous that we have many talented young employees from many different countries. This means that we are well prepared for the future in a globalised and technological world. In the nearest future the department management will have a look at how we can get our young employees even more committed and involved in things taking place in AGRO.