iCROPM

Scientific Committee: Andrew Challinor (UNIV. of LEEDS, UK), Jonas Jägermeyr (COLUMBIA UNIV., US), Dilys MacCarthy (UG, GH), Sonali McDermid (NYU, US), Reimund Rötter (UNI-GÖTTINGEN, DE), Xuhui Wang (PKU, CN)

Session Description:

Climate change poses profound challenges to agricultural systems, impacting crop productivity, altering land use dynamics, and requiring effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. This session will showcase the use of data, theory and models, through applied studies, model development, data-driven approaches and data-model integration, to advance our understanding of climate change impacts on diverse agro-ecosystem productivity and land use, and the interactions between impacts and adaptation and/or mitigation responses.

We invite contributions studying agricultural systems across spatio-temporal scales: from long-term trends to climate extremes, from field to globe, and from sub-seasonal to end-of-century.

Key Topics Include:

1. Application studies and specific model improvements for concrete applications related to climate change
2. Studies at field, farm, landscape and larger levels of organisation with crop and/or integrated models
3. Studies on impacts and attributions of single and multiple factors/stresses and extreme events
4. Studies examining effects of land management on mitigation

Of particular interest are studies assessing climate change impacts and risks, and/or adaptation and mitigation responses from the field to the ecosystem level. We also welcome contributions that identify and address key uncertainties and gaps in knowledge for improving the mechanistic understanding of interactions among multiple climate change-induced stresses to agro-ecosystems.

Additionally, we encourage critical reflections on the frameworks, methods and tools used for assessing impacts, risks, adaptation, and mitigation. This includes, for example, exploring the balance between natural and social sciences, models and observations, and theory and practice.

Robust frameworks and the closing of specific knowledge gaps are key to making the most of process-based models and data-driven approaches in informing decision-making from farm to global level. Hence, we welcome studies that frame, identify, quantify, and attribute climate-driven changes in single and multiple factors/stresses, such as compound extremes, and associated concomitant or subsequent multiple abiotic and biotic stresses and their interactions. Additionally, studies that examine agricultural and land use options for climate change mitigation (e.g. GHG reduction and/or carbon sequestration), especially those identifying key co-benefits and trade-offs with adaptation, biodiversity, hydrology, and other societal considerations, are highly encouraged.

Scientific Committee: Martin Volk (UFZ, DE), Marc Corbeels (CIRAD, FR), Jørgen E. Olesen (AU, DK)

Session Description:

Agricultural systems are increasingly expected to deliver not only food and biomass but also a range of ecosystem services, support biodiversity, and operate within planetary boundaries. This session explores modelling approaches that advance the understanding, design, and evaluation of sustainable, resilient, and multifunctional agroecosystems in the face of global challenges such as pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity.

Key Topics Include:

1. Modelling of ecosystem services and biodiversity, planetary boundaries, Sustainable Development Goals, etc., including tradeoffs and synergies

We welcome studies that integrate and assess concepts such as ecosystem services, biodiversity, planetary boundaries, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those that examine trade-offs and synergies between different ecosystem services and biodiversity indicators to inform sustainable land-use and agroecosystem management strategies.

2. Including a diversity of crops in the agroecosystems, e.g. new crops for food, feed, bioenergy and biomaterials

We also invite contributions focusing on diversification of agroecosystems—including underutilized species, minor crops, and other crops for food, feed, bioenergy and biomaterials—that assess their potential to enhance agroecosystem resilience, diversify production, and contribute to sustainability goals.

3. Novel cropping systems

We encourage studies on novel cropping systems such as intercropping, agroforestry, low-input, or pesticide-free approaches, including conservation agriculture and regenerative farming. Model-based evaluations of these systems regarding productivity, ecological resilience, and environmental impacts are of special interest.

4. Water cycles, nutrient dynamics and pesticide fate

We seek studies addressing water cycles, nutrient dynamics and losses, as well as the fate and behavior of pesticides in agricultural systems. We particularly value contributions that model these processes across spatial and temporal scales (including landscape and catchment scales) and support the development of sustainable land use and management strategies.

This session offers a platform for interdisciplinary research that combines modelling, empirical evidence, and applied approaches to support the transformation towards sustainable agriculture and sustainable land use and management.

Scientific Committee: Gatien Falconnier (CIRAD, FR),  Christoph Müller (PIK, DE), Martin Van Ittersum (WUR, NL)

Session Description:

This session explores the role of crop modelling in understanding and improving crop production within the broader context of food systems and food and nutrition security. As a growing and increasingly richer global population demands more and different food items, ensuring sufficient, nutritious, and sustainable food production is a central challenge for societies. Crop production is not only a cornerstone of food value chains but is also deeply embedded in markets, food systems, and environmental processes.

Crop models provide the scientific framework for simulating and projecting crop growth, yield, and quality under diverse environmental and management conditions and are thus essential tools in assessing the sensitivity of food production systems to possible future changes in climate, resource availability, or management practices. At the same time, crop models can inform on environmental impacts of crop- and livestock production systems. By quantifying the spatial and temporal variability of yield and crop quality, modelling supports the identification of risks and opportunities in food supply, helping to avoid mismatches between demand and supply that could lead to price spikes or food insecurity.

Crop models can be applied within integrated assessment frameworks, connecting agronomic outcomes with economic dynamics and land-use systems, addressing complex information needs from food system and food security perspectives.

The session will also address the sensitivity of food and feed production to changes in external inputs, which are themselves subject to regulatory, geopolitical, and market dynamics. Modelling can reveal how shifts in input availability or affordability affect both the quantity and quality of agricultural outputs, informing strategies for resilience and adaptation in food systems.

We welcome case studies, methodological advances, and interdisciplinary approaches that highlight the evolving capabilities and applications of crop modelling in the context of global food and nutrition security.

Key Topics Include:

1. Studies on modelling value networks (from field to consumer) from a crop system perspective
2. Policy and/or market impact assessments for food and nutrition security
3. Studies on integrated production systems (crop, livestock, grassland, etc.) and the impact on food security

Scientific Committee: Davide Cammarano (AU, DK), Bruno Basso (MSU, US), Katrien Descheemaeker (WUR, NL), Willingthon Pavan (UFL, US), Katharina Waha (UNI-A, DE)

Session Description:

Crop models are increasingly used to support innovation and inform decisions at multiple levels of agricultural systems—from field management to strategic planning and policy design. This session focuses on the use of crop models as tools for enabling more sustainable, adaptive, and resilient cropping systems by integrating them into real-world decision-making processes.

We welcome contributions showcasing real-world examples on how models have supported or shaped decisions by farmers, advisory services, NGOs, agro-holdings, industry bodies, or policymakers. Submissions may highlight successful applications (such as increased productivity, climate resilience, improved strategic planning, etc), as well as instances where model limitations led to unexpected or suboptimal results.

Key Topics Include:

• Incorporating crop models with real-time data from sensors, satellites, and AI for dynamic decision-making (e.g. support precision agriculture, yield forecasting, etc.)
• Using crop models to support the development and uptake of innovations (precision agriculture, strip cropping) and environmental policies (carbon pricing)
• Participatory modelling to facilitate co-design approaches
• User-friendly interfaces for stakeholders
• Modelling decisions and innovation impacts in ag systems

Crop models may be used together with other modelling frameworks or as the only model. We encourage submissions that explore how crop models are being coupled with real-time data sources, such as sensors, satellite imagery, and AI, for dynamic, site-specific decision-making (e.g., precision agriculture, in-season yield forecasting, climate risk mitigation).

Perspectives from model users, together with perspectives from modellers, are especially encouraged to share insights on how modelling influenced their choices, the challenges faced, and lessons learned in the process. We are particularly interested in participatory modelling efforts that engage stakeholders throughout the modelling process to co-design innovations or guide adoption.

We welcome examples of different types of innovation, technological, ecological, economic, and social innovations, potentially supported by crop models. This includes use cases supporting precision farming, climate adaptation strategies, agro-economic planning, policy and program design, sustainability innovations, and decision-support platforms or knowledge sharing tools.

Abstract should clearly identify the type of decision or innovation supported, who the user or decision maker was, the process through which modelling was integrated, and the outcomes achieved.