IC-AEN 2025 — Conference Summary

International Conference on the Agro-Environmental Nexus • 17–18 November 2025 • Prague, Czech Republic • Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU) • Hybrid format

Agro-Environmental Nexus Land • Water • Energy Proceedings Published Indexed in Scopus

About

IC-AEN 2025 was held on 17–18 November 2025 at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU) in Prague, Czech Republic, in a hybrid in-person and online format. The conference brought together research on soil conservation, water efficiency, circular bioresource use, pollution control, climate adaptation and the coordinated management of food, energy and water systems.

The scientific program combined invited keynote lectures, parallel sessions, interactive discussions, a poster session and a young researcher forum. Particular attention was given to deployable methods, transparent reporting, resource efficiency and climate-resilient solutions for agriculture, rural infrastructure and agri-food value chains.

Proceedings and Indexing

Publication status

The IC-AEN 2025 proceedings have been published in E3S Web of Conferences.

View the published proceedings

Indexing

The 2025 proceedings are indexed in Scopus.

Conference Topics

Soil Conservation and Land Restoration

Water Resources and Irrigation Efficiency Including Reuse and Watershed Management

Food–Energy–Water Nexus and Circular Bioresource Valorization

Environmental Engineering and Pollution Control for Agri-Food Chains

Climate Risk Adaptation and Nature-Based Solutions in Rural Landscapes

Venue

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU)
Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Praha 6 – Suchdol, Czech Republic
Conference format: hybrid, with in-person and online participation.

Keynote Speakers

Prof. Hermann de Meer

University of Passau, Germany

Confirmed

Resilient energy and water management for agro-environmental systems

The talk discusses farm-scale microgrids and demand-responsive pumping for irrigation under variable renewable supply. Emphasis is placed on operational reliability, resource efficiency and practical control strategies that reduce emissions while safeguarding crop water needs. Case-based evidence highlights how coordinated energy and water scheduling supports climate-resilient agricultural production.

Food–energy–water nexus in rural infrastructures
Microgrids and demand response on farms
Operational resilience and low-carbon performance

Prof. Ștefan Țălu

Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Confirmed

Fractal and multiscale surface analysis for soils and bio-based materials

The lecture introduces multiscale and fractal metrology to characterize soil aggregate stability, erosion resistance and the surface architecture of bio-derived materials used in agri-food applications. The approach links quantitative morphology to hydrological behavior and durability, offering tools for better soil conservation and circular material design.

Soil conservation and erosion control
Surface metrology and fractal descriptors
Bio-based materials performance in agri-food chains

Dr. Mauro Salazar

Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands

Confirmed

Optimization and control of low-carbon irrigation and on-farm energy systems

This keynote presents model-based optimization for irrigation pumping, storage and renewable generation at farm level. Methods balance water availability, crop requirements and energy costs while accounting for climate variability. The results demonstrate pathways to reduce emissions and stabilize operations in agro-environmental settings.

Water resources and irrigation efficiency
Energy-aware scheduling for rural operations
Robust control under weather and price uncertainty

Dr. Siti Khadijah Hubadillah

Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia

Confirmed

Waste-derived ceramic membranes for water reuse in irrigation and food processing

The presentation explores porous ceramic membranes produced from agro-industrial by-products and their application to wastewater polishing and reuse. Performance, durability and life-cycle benefits are discussed with pilot-scale insights that support safe water management in agriculture and the food sector.

Water reuse for irrigation and processing
Environmental engineering and circular valorization
Materials selection and life-cycle considerations

Conference Program — IC-AEN 2025

Day 1 — Monday, 17 November 2025

09:00 – 09:30	Welcome and Opening Remarks Conference overview and housekeeping • Host and co-organizers
09:30 – 10:15	Keynote Lecture 1 Prof. Hermann de Meer University of Passau, Germany Resilient energy and water management for agro-environmental systems Farm-scale microgrids, demand-responsive pumping and reliability for climate-resilient operations.
10:15 – 11:00	Keynote Lecture 2 Prof. Ștefan Țălu Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania Fractal and multiscale surface analysis for soils and bio-based materials Quantitative morphology for erosion resistance, hydrological behavior and circular material design.
11:00 – 12:30	Parallel Sessions I Soil conservation and land restoration — aggregate stability, salinity mitigation and monitoring Water resources and irrigation efficiency — reuse, watershed management and scheduling under variability Environmental engineering — pollution control, waste-to-resource and circularity in agri-food chains
12:30 – 13:30	Lunch Break
13:30 – 15:00	Interactive Section Discussions Moderated roundtables linking methods to deployment • Short method demonstrations • Q&A
15:00 – 15:15	Coffee Break
15:15 – 16:45	Poster Session and Young Researcher Forum Judged poster corridor • Best Poster and Best Method awards
16:45 – 17:00	End of Day 1

Day 2 — Tuesday, 18 November 2025

09:00 – 09:20	Welcome and Day 1 Recap Key takeaways and logistics for Day 2
09:20 – 10:05	Keynote Lecture 3 Dr. Mauro Salazar Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands Optimization and control of low-carbon irrigation and on-farm energy systems Model-based scheduling balancing crop water needs, energy costs and climate variability.
10:05 – 10:50	Keynote Lecture 4 Dr. Siti Khadijah Hubadillah Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia Waste-derived ceramic membranes for water reuse in irrigation and food processing Performance, durability and life-cycle gains for safe reuse in agriculture and agri-food operations.
10:50 – 12:20	Parallel Sessions II Food–energy–water nexus — circular bioresource valorization and system integration metrics Biodiversity and agroecology — ecosystem services, pollinators and field-scale practices Climate risk and nature-based solutions — adaptation pathways, low-carbon strategies and rural resilience
12:20 – 13:20	Lunch Break
13:20 – 14:50	Panel Discussion Reproducibility, data integrity and reporting standards in agro-environmental research
14:50 – 15:05	Coffee Break
15:05 – 16:30	Concluding Sessions and Poster Highlights Short talks from best-rated papers • Poster spotlight • Q&A
16:30 – 17:00	Closing Remarks and Awards Best Paper • Best Poster • Next steps and announcement of future events

The IC-AEN 2025 proceedings have been published in E3S Web of Conferences and are indexed in Scopus.