How much old does the new need and how much new can the old tolerate? These questions are the focus of this year's Future of Food conference "Between Root and Change - How do tradition and innovation come together? " at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences. It will take place on November 25, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Innovationswerkstatt (Building 51 - Bernburg) on Campus Bernburg.
The students of the master's degree program "Food and Agribusiness" at the Department of Agriculture, Ecotrophology and Landscape Development, together with the Farmers' Association of Saxony-Anhalt e. V., invite you to discuss the tension between preservation and renewal. Best-practice examples will be used to show how the two can be combined.
"We live in a time in which regionality, craftsmanship and knowledge that has grown over generations are once again gaining in importance. At the same time, new technologies, artificial intelligence and sustainable solutions are challenging the way we think and act. The program addresses these topics and spans the spectrum from practice to research," says Dean Prof. Dr. Elena Kashtanova, who has been in charge of the "Future of Food Conference" project since 2010.
The focus is on contributions to old grain varieties and their preservation in agricultural networks as well as the importance of artisanal, regionally based food for a sustainable food culture. The focus is also on new approaches and ideas: One presentation will focus on insects as a natural source of protein in animal nutrition, another on farms that are positioning themselves for the future through specialty crops, and on the question of how the courage to change and regional roots can be reconciled.
Finally, in the afternoon, examples will be presented in which tradition and innovation already go hand in hand. For example, it will be shown how fermentation can contribute to greater transparency and sustainability in the food system, and how modern concepts in dairy farming are providing new impetus for animal welfare, environmental and climate protection.
The aim of the event is to promote dialog between specialist disciplines and generations: Agriculture and the food trade, science and Economics, students and consumers.
Media representatives are welcome to attend.
More information and the program at www.hs-anhalt.de/fof
