JSPS Alumni Club Award 2023
by Board member Dr. Wolfgang Staguhn
JACA Award for Professor Dr. Sonoko Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura on May 12, 2023
On May 12, 2023, the German JSPS alumni association honored Professor Dr. Sonoko Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura with the JSPS Alumni Club Award 2023, the JACA award.
The JACA prize honors Professor Dr. Bellingrath-Kimura for her commitment to scientific exchange between Japan and Germany. Scientific exchange has many facets, including joint research projects, working on common research topics and the exchange of young scientists and students. But also advising young scientists from both countries when planning a stay in the other country and working in scientific committees in both countries. Professor Dr. Bellingrath-Kimura has contributed recognizable engagement in all possible aspects.
At present, Professor Dr. Bellingrath-Kimura works as W3 Professor for “Land Use Systems” at the HU Berlin, and Co-Head of Research Area 2, “Land Use and Governance” at the Leibniz Institute ZALF. She is dedicated to researching sustainable and smart agriculture with a focus on:
Nutrient cycling: Material flow varies greatly depending on site conditions such as soil and uneven water movement in the field. The greenhouse effect, material circulation and soil conditions and location (slope or plain) are examined.
Protein supply / legumes: The full utilization of various ecosystem service functions of legumes and their effective use as food and feed as well as a source of protein is the key to establishing sustainable agriculture in the course of climate change. Nitrogen fixation by native rhizobia has been shown to be very important for the development of soybean acreage. The influence of climate change on grain and maize cultivation and the connection between material cycles, tillage methods and meteorological conditions are being investigated in a German long-term continuous use test field.
Digitization: The DAKIS project uses the potential of digitization and field robotics to integrate ecosystem services (ES) and biodiversity into modern planning processes, production and marketing. In two test regions (Brandenburg and Bavaria), the natural potential and the social needs of ES and biodiversity are analyzed. Close cooperation exists in the digitization to the TUAT, where Prof. Dr. Bellingrath-Kimura previously participated in several projects and did research together.
In the laudation saved as PDF, Professor Bellingrath Kimura’s activities related to scientific exchange and some scientific projects are described in more detail. The 2023 JACA Prize includes an ANA flight ticket and rail travel support during a two-week trip.
Laudation by Dr. Wolfgang Staguhn (90 KB)
Acceptance speech by Professor Dr. Sonoko Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura on receiving the JACA 2023 (50 KB)
Additional links to Professor Dr. Bellingrath-Kimura:
- Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e.V., Programmbereich 2 „Landnutzung und Governance“
- HU Berlin, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institut für Agrar- und Gartenbauwissenschaften, Landnutzungssysteme
- Research Gate: Sonoko D. Bellingrath-Kimura’s research works
- Google Scholar: Sonoko Bellingrath-Kimura
- YouTube: DIE BIOPIONIERE | Die Agrarvisionärin – Sonoko Bellingrath-Kimura will die digitale Landwirtschaft
- bioökonomie.de: Die Agrarvisionärin Sonoko Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura
- Deutscher Bundestag: Stellungnahme der Einzelsachverständigen Prof. Dr. Sonoko Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura für die 29. Sitzung des Ausschusses für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft