Agroforestry systems - where trees are integrated into agricultural fields - are gaining attention as a promising approach for climate-smart agriculture. By combining crops and trees, these systems may help store carbon, improve soil health, and maintain agricultural productivity. However, we still know surprisingly little about how carbon is distributed within agroforestry fields and how tree rows influence the surrounding cropland.

Are you interested in gaining hands-on experience in environmental research and learning how agroforestry influences carbon cycling and soil processes?

If you enjoy working both outdoors and in the lab, this project offers the opportunity to investigate how carbon stocks and greenhouse gas fluxes vary between tree rows and adjacent crop areas in an agroforestry system. 

You will work at an agroforestry research site and help explore if and how trees influence carbon storage, distribution and associated soil processes across agricultural fields. Understanding these spatial patterns can provide valuable insights into the potential role of agroforestry in climate change mitigation.

You will gain hands-on experience in both fieldwork and laboratory work. During field campaigns, you will collect soil samples along transects extending from tree rows into the surrounding cropland. You will also participate in greenhouse gas measurements using chamber-based techniques to assess soil respiration. In the laboratory, you will prepare soil samples and determine their carbon content using standard soil analysis methods. Additionally, you will also gain experience working with and interpreting the collected data. 

This project is planned for the summer semester 2026 (including August & September). 

Contact: Stella Nevermann, Benjamin Hafner