The Department of Food and BioResource Technology (DFBT) at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, serves as the faculty’s core workplace for technology-driven solutions that improve food security and support agricultural and rural development in Global South Countries (GSC).
Formerly known as the Department of Sustainable Technologies, the department’s current name underscores its long-term orientation toward linking food science and food technologies with bioresource technologies, bioeconomy and the sustainable use of natural resources, especially in the context of GSCs, where practical, resilient innovations can have immediate societal impact. DFBT’s teaching and research combine applied engineering and food systems thinking across themes such as bioeconomy, sustainable agricultural practices, food processing and bioresource technologies, and food security, while also addressing the socio-economic impacts of introducing new technologies and production systems in rural areas. This interdisciplinary scope reflects the department’s aim to move beyond “technology in isolation” and instead evaluate how solutions perform in real communities to create economically viable, environmentally friendly solutions that address the complex challenges of food security and poverty. A defining feature of the department is its strong involvement in international and development-oriented research. A substantial part of the department's research is funded by Horizon Europe projects, the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic TAČR and the Czech Development Cooperation program. Except for those projects, additional funding comes from the FTA internal grant agency.
Our experimental facilities include the Laboratory of Biofuels, Laboratory of Food Processing Technology and BRT-Laboratory (Biogas Research). In education, DFBT staff contribute across many accredited FTA study programmes and the department acts as the guarantor of the English-taught Master’s programme “Agri-Food Systems and Rural Development” and the doctoral programme “Sustainable Rural Development” while also providing courses for incoming students through Erasmus+. Through this combination of research, laboratories, and internationally oriented teaching, DFBT prepares graduates to design and assess agri-food and bioresource solutions that strengthen food systems and rural livelihoods under diverse conditions in GSCs.
