Biological nitrogen fixation, driven by legume-rhizobia symbiosis, is key to sustainable agriculture.

Labor contracting, where intermediaries provide farmers with migrant workers, plays a central role in meeting the demand for seasonal and flexible labor on labor-intensive farms.

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential nutrients for the growth and productivity of soybean and maize.

The PhD defence of Madeleine Guyot will take place on Tuesday, 24 June 2025, at 16:00, in auditorium CYCL01 (Marc de Hemptinne Building, Chemin du Cyclotron 2 — Louvain-la-Neuve).The title of her thesis is: “Zooming in on disparities of quality of life in urban areas.

Plants are central to life on Earth, making up 80% of global biomass and driving major carbon and water cycles between soil and atmosphere. With a growing global population, 80% of the increased food demand by 2050 must be met by plants.

On Thursday 19 June, all members of the Institute are invited to the ELI Enlarged Council, where issues relating to the running of the institute will be discussed. We hope that as many members of the Institute as possible will attend this important meeting.A drink will be served afterwards.

On June 18, the Earth and Life Institute is delighted to welcome Doctor Marijn Van der Velde for an ELI Sustainability Talk entitled "Integrating and spatializing EU-wide data streams to monitor agricultural sustainability".Marijn Van der Velde is the leader of the AgriEnvClim group at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).His research focuses on the management and interactions of