The summer edition of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences newsletter is out! Twice a year, we share key updates, research highlights, student achievements, and international partnerships from across the faculty.

In 2025, the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (FTA CZU) significantly advanced its collaboration with the Technical University of Moldova (UTM) through two key initiatives: an Erasmus+ mobility visit and the launch of a didactic vineyard, both strengthening academic cooperation and practical education.

The Green Plate Forum 3.0, titled “Future Food for Thought”, was successfully held on 24 June 2025, from 16:00 to 19:30, at BOKU University, TÜWI, Vienna. The event was jointly hosted and organized by students from BOKU University, together with our international guests from the Czech University of Life Sciences (CZU) Prague and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and was proudly supported by the Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS). This year’s forum focused on exploring the global intersections of food culture and sustainability. Under the theme “Future Food for Thought”, the event celebrated sustainable dishes from around the world, showcasing how diverse cultures contribute to sustainable development through traditional cooking practices, recipes, and localized food systems.

In April 2025, a team of researchers from the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences went on an expedition to Laos thanks to the Erasmus+ KA171 programme. Ladislav Kokoška, Markéta Houdková and Mikuláš Středa participated in the research trip. Their aim was not only to collect samples of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine and samples of neglected and underutilized fruits and vegetables used to prepare local dishes, but also to establish cooperation with scientists from Savannakhet University.

From June 8–12, 2025, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague hosted the Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnobotany (SEB) – a globally respected event that took place in the Czech Republic for the very first time. The conference brought together dozens of researchers, scholars, and students interested in ethnobotany, biocultural diversity, and the traditional knowledge of plants.

The program included keynote lectures, interactive workshops, poster presentations, and field trips. Teaching Tuesday featured immersive VR ethnobotany sessions and discussions on teaching innovations. The week was closed by a full day of excursions across selected cultural and botanical heritage sites in the Czech Republic.

We thank all speakers, volunteers, and attendees who made this inspiring event a success!

Students of the International Cooperation in Agricultural and Rural Development (ICARD) bachelor programme at FTZ, Jan Müldner and Anna Pražáková, travelled to the Brazilian part of the Amazon as part of their final thesis. The topics of their theses are related to the long-term plan of the research team TRACE (Tropical Farming Systems & Ecological Economics) at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, led by Assoc. Ing. Vladimír Verner, Ph.D., which is to strengthen food security and economic self-sufficiency of agricultural communities facing climate risks and to promote agrobiodiversity. Anička and Honza focused specifically on deforestation, sustainable farming and the use of local palm species. We are happy to share their experiences.