The BayWa AG Magazine

Issue 1/2015

Freshly tappedCraft beer brings new flavours to the world.

Travelling far and wideHow scholarships contribute to cultural exchange.

Cultivating the digital fieldModern technology is changing agriculture and our lives.

2014

08 18

03 EDITORIAL

04 JUST A MOMENT A look inside fibre-optic cables.

06 NEWS News and events from the company

and the world of BayWa.

IN FOCUS 08 Digital farming. New technologies

are changing agriculture, offering up numerous opportunities.

13 On all channels. An interview with Prof. Klaus Josef Lutz.

MARKETS 14 Thirsty for beer: How craft beer is

bringing new flavours to the world.

16 A grid full of opportunities: The Inter-net of Things and the energy sector.

18 INTERVIEW Prof. Dr. Gunther Hirschfelder

on the latest food trends and feeding the world.

20 BEYOND BUSINESS Scholarships create room to learn.

22 LAST BUT NOT LEAST Q&A and cartoon. Contact/Publication information, image credits.

Did you spot it? The cover picture displays a digital map that shows the properties of agricultural areas.

0 2 75 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

C O N T E N T S

Dear readers,Do you know what the weather is going to be like tomorrow or how your shares are doing at the moment? If so, then you have probably already used the Internet today. Whether it is ordering dinner, turning on the lights at home or meeting friends, all this can be done online anytime and anywhere.

Digitisation is changing our lives both in a personal and professional sphere. New technology is sweeping across all industries and experts are calling this mega trend the fourth industrial revolution. And it is a revolution that naturally opens up many opportunities for BayWa too. Digitisation is therefore the focus of the first 2015 issue of the BayWa magazine 75|60°. ‘Smart farming’ is a buzz-word at the moment, meaning the intelligent networking of all business areas in agricultural production for sustainable and resource-efficient operation.

Find out about the modern technologies being used to work the fields as pre-cisely as possible and how they help to protect the environment. The topics of net-working, increased efficiency and the careful handling of resources are explored in detail throughout this issue.

Discover what the Internet of Things and the decentralised supply of renew-able energy have to do with each other and the ideology behind our eating and drinking habits. 75° north | 60° south: The range of action at BayWa is as wide as the range of topics covered in this issue. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Prof. Klaus Josef Lutz CEO of BayWa AG

0 375 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

E D I T O R I A L

0 4 75 60° 1/ 2 0 1 5

J U S T A M O M E N T

Waves of innovationFibre-optic cables are sparking a firework of innovation. They are the stuff that digitisation is made of because they help create high-speed data highways. The global information network is becoming ever more densely connected by fibre-optic cables. Lithuania is the European leader in terms of fibre-optic technology, where more than 20 per cent of households are supplied with high-speed Internet. In Germany this figure is currently still less than one per cent. Fibre-optic cables transfer information via a series of light waves that can bend around corners. As fibre-optic cables are becoming increasingly common, there has been an increased effort in discovering new recycling methods. Specialists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg, Germany, are developing a process that enables the creation of ultra white glass from old glass. The ultra-white glass enables maximum translucency, making it perfect for data transmission.

0 575 60° 1/ 2 0 1 5

C O N T E S TExpanding agricultural trade in Southern Europe

BayWa AG, acting as BayWa Agrar International B.V., has established new trading companies in Spain and Italy in order to provide customers from the food and ani­mal feed industry in Southern Europe with agricultural raw materials. With this move, the company is expanding its international agricultural raw materials business into Southern Europe.

“By tapping into new markets in Europe, we are underlining our claim to be the leading European company in the areas of agricultural trade, distribution and logis­tics,” says Klaus Josef Lutz, CEO of BayWa AG. “We see potential target markets all over Europe,” continues Lutz.

Cefetra S.p.A., based in Rome, Italy, and Cefetra Iberica S.L., based in Madrid, Spain, supply the Italian market as well as logistically connected markets in the Medi­terranean region, including customers in Spain and Portugal, with agricultural raw materials such as soy meal for animal feed and grain for food.

There is strong impetus for renewable energies in Northern Europe. BayWa r.e. entered the Scandinavian market by purchasing 76 per cent of the shares in Swedish project developer HS Kraft AB. The company also opened up a new branch in Edin­burgh, Scotland.

“Purchasing the majority share in HS Kraft AB opens up new potential for BayWa r.e. in the European market. It’s an important step towards internationalisation of our project business,” says Matthias Taft, Chairman of the Management Board at BayWa r.e. Due to the favourable wind conditions and the stable political and regulatory situa­tion in Scandinavia, he expects to be able to develop sustainable business in the region.

The team in Edinburgh is committed to developing wind projects and the techni­cal operational management of wind and solar parks in the United Kingdom. To date, BayWa r.e. has implemented wind and solar parks with a capacity of over 140 mega­watts in the UK. Parks with a capacity of over 300 megawatts are in the pipeline.

BayWa r.e. intensifies northern energy operations

Water­proof Garmin Virb Elite HD action camera, with GPS functions for recording speed and altitude as well as Wi­Fi and wire­less ANT+ technology.

Test your knowledge and win an action camera from Garmin. Here is our question:

Take a guess ...

At what height do satellites for the GPS navigation system or-bit the earth?

Write to us by 15 March 2015:BayWa AG, Redaktion 75|60°, 81918 Munich, GermanyOr send an e-mail to: 7560@baywa.de, subject: Contest

When submitting your entry, please include your telephone number or e-mail address.Contest rules: Operator of this contest is BayWa AG, Arabel-lastrasse 4, 81925 Munich, Germany. The winner will receive a Garmin Virb Elite HD action camera. The deadline for sub-missions (date postmarked or date sent by e-mail) is 15 March 2015. Participants must be at least 18 years of age. Participants are limited to one entry per person. Employees of BayWa AG and its subsidiaries and holding companies and the families of these employees may not enter. The winner is determined by lottery and be informed. Cash payment, exchange or transfer of prize to a third party is not possible. All decisions are final.

Here’s the correct answer to the last contest: The average height of players in the German Beko Basketball League during the 2013/2014 season was 197.2 centimetre.The winner is Anja H. from Munich.

Open-minded about renewable energy and modern architecture: Malmö in Sweden – the picture shows the Turning Torso.

0 6 75 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

N E W S

What an individual person cannot achieve, a group can. This is the idea at the heart of coopera­tives. Germany has nominated the cooperative movement for inclusion on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity and will submit the suggestion to UNESCO in March 2015. The first cooperatives were established in the mid­19th century in Germany in order to arrange cost­ef­fective loans for cash­strapped farmers and small entrepreneurs. The self­help principle has become a global success story. There are 800 million cooperative members around the world.

To date, such a type of economic self­or­ganisation has never appeared on a UNESCO list. Examples of intangible cultural heritage included in the UNESCO lists include Ca trù, a complex form of sung poetry from Vietnam, Croatian Ojkanje singing and Chinese printing with wooden movable type. UNESCO will decide whether the cooperative movement deserves a spot on the list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2016.

Cooperatives on the World Heritage List

It is doubtful whether Coco felt comfortable in an evening gown and fancy necklace gliding down the red carpet of an awards show in Los Angeles. Coco, the gentle chicken belonging to Hollywood actress Tori Spelling, would surely have preferred to spend the evening in the fields with her fellow chickens, pecking at grain and earth­worms. But Coco is an extreme example of a new trend. Chickens have found their way into Hollywood. Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand, Gisele Bündchen and Reese Witherspoon are some of the celebrities who own their own chicken coops. All of them own large estates and even farms to keep them occupied between film shoots. Unlike Coco, the animals there likely feel pretty good. Keeping chickens is not only ‘in’ in Hollywood. You can now find urban farmers in many cities from Berlin to New York. There are some 10,000 chickens and other poultry registered in Cologne alone.

Since chickens are considered small animals like rabbits and guinea pigs, people in Germany are permitted to keep them in residential areas. However, the require­ment to be considerate to neighbours must be observed. A sufficient amount of space is also a must, as is a coop and a fenced­in area in the garden or courtyard. There is no single answer when it comes to assessing how much space a chicken requires. Com­mercial organic farming in Germany allows farmers to keep six animals per square metre in the coop and four per square metre in the exercise area. They also need space for scratching and a dust bath area. In order to feel secure, chickens require a coop with high perches for sleeping and of course, a nest for laying eggs. In the meantime, the luxury U.S. department store chain Neiman Marcus now offers a coop suitable for Hollywood chickens. For US$100,000, you can be the proud owner of a coop in the style of the Palace of Versailles for between three and ten chickens, who can make themselves comfortable in the miniature palace, which includes a sanctuary for breeding with chandeliers.

The urban chicken trend

LARGEST HOPS-GROWING REGIONS IN THE WORLDin hectares (ha)

CHINA 2,500 ha

U.S.A. 16,000 ha

GERMANY* 17,000 ha

EU28 27,000 ha

* The Hallertau region in Bavaria is the largest single hops-growing area in the world covering some 14,000 hectares of land.

Source: International Hop Growers’ Convention, 2014.

0 775 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

Digital farming Drones circle over fields, satellite images supply stock analyses, and machines perform precision work down to a few square centimetres. This is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Farmers today are automatically provided with information about the amount of nitrogen the wheat needs and the size of the harvest from the maize field. The agriculture industry is experiencing a DIGITAL REVOLUTION . Modern technology intelligently links data, creating the basis for more efficient and sustainable operation. Digital farming is the future.

0 8 75 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

In Finland, when it comes to making decisions about the future, there has to be a sauna involved somewhere along the way. At Startup Sauna, though, the emphasis is not on joint sweating

sessions. The Helsinki-based organisation supports budding entrepreneurs. The com-pany uses competitions to seek out the best business ideas and winners are rewarded with a ticket to Silicon Valley, the home of digital innovation. During their time in Cali-fornia, the founders can see how startups in the U.S. operate. Finns have a high affinity for the Internet. They are masters of digitisation. According to a recent study by the World Economic Forum, over 90 per cent of Finns use the Internet. The Finns were also at the forefront when automated milking systems ushered in a new era in the cattle stalls. Scan-dinavia’s role in automated milking and feed-ing systems made it a leading region in the digitisation of the dairy industry. The North Europeans were also among the first to test precision farming in the field.

EYES IN THE SKYDigitisation and an abundance of data: Drones have overtaken automated milking systems as a symbol for increased efficiency in agriculture. They are being used in a range of civil applications in Germany. In the Bavarian Forest National Park, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), known as drones in military jargon, equipped with multispectral cameras take pictures of treetops that allow conclusions to be drawn regarding the sup-ply of nutrients to and the activities of bark beetles. The ‘eyes in the sky’ are opening a lot of doors in agriculture. Experts expect that UAVs will soon be regularly soaring over test fields and plant cultivation areas. When it comes to compiling digital maps, drones also provide a lower cost, flexible addition to satellite images.

Digital maps that show different surfaces in colour are an important tool

0 975 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

I N F O C U S

in smart farming. Scientists do not accept the term smart farming. They talk about precision farming when it comes to arable operations and precision livestock farming when it involves livestock (see 75|60°, Issue 2/2014, pp. 21-23). But, in everyday par-lance, the term is closely tied to digitisation in agriculture.

AUSTRALIA IS LEADING THE WAYAustralia is a global leader in precision farm-ing. Controlled traffic farming (CTF) digitally creates traffic lanes in the field which are used on a recurring and consistent basis using GPS-guided vehicles. The system is

used on around 15 per cent of cereal growing areas in Australia according to Don Yule from the Australian Controlled Traffic Farming Association. As a result, it is easier to manage extreme weather conditions such as drought or heavy rainfall.

CTF was discovered by chance as a result of a climate-related event at the beginning of the 21st century. Farmers in Queensland

struggling with seven years of drought found that when water is sparse, wheat, barley, mil-let and maize do better where a raised bed farming system is used. Here, crops are planted on raised beds and tended to from lower lying traffic lanes. Furthermore, during heavy rainfall, water that the hard Australian ground cannot absorb flows into these tracks and subsequently into drainage channels at the edge of the fields. In short, it is a type of natural drainage system. This method began making inroads in Australia at the end of the 1990s. The highly accurate positioning of vehicles thanks to civilian use of GPS formed the technological foundation.

GPS is also the basis for the strip-till method of cultivation, which is primarily used for crops such as maize. “Researchers and practitioners have been explor-ing the issues of permanent tracks and strip cultivation for decades, both in North America and Bavaria. We now have the

technologies necessary to implement this in practice,” says Dr. Markus Demmel from the Bavarian Regional Office for Agriculture.

“Perfect strips are the key to success,” says Dr. Wilfried Hermann, Head of the Trial Station for the strip-till method at the Univer-sity of Hohenheim. These perfect strips can only be found again using automatic steering systems based on GPS. With the traditional

HIGH PRECISIONPowerful measuring probes record plant nutrient levels within a fraction of a second.

strip-till method, the soil is only worked and cleared of crop residues where crops will be sown, either at the same time or in a second pass. The space between the rows is covered with straw or crop residues. This protects against soil erosion. A tractor with an auto-matic steering system is required in order to precisely locate the strips in the individ-ual processing stages. There are additional benefits besides protection against erosion and increased yields. “Strip tilling can reduce the number of times the ground has to be worked and can save up to ten litres of diesel per hectare,” adds Dr. Hermann.

SAVING RESOURCESMethods such as CTF and strip tilling work to counter soil erosion. Subplot cultivation, or in other words, the farming of individual areas of arable land, and the application of fertilizers and pesticides precisely adapted to the soil conditions ensures that crops do not receive too much or too little. Precise steering systems guarantee that no crops are missed and that no areas are covered twice. On average, digital steering systems deliver work-time savings of up to 12 per cent and resource savings of five to ten per cent in comparison with manual control methods.

The advantages of precision farming are that the farmer can work more efficiently, increase yields, reduce the use of inputs and conserve resources. Precision

“ Perfect strips are the key to success.”D R . W I L F R I E D H E R M A N N

1 0 75 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

I N F O C U S

CONVENIENTKnow when the cow needs milking: Precision livestock farming offers clear advantages in regards to animal welfare.

ACCURATE TO THE NEAREST CENTIMETREPrecisely loca ting the strips again during the individual process stages is important when using the strip-till method.

SMART FARMINGAll of the work steps in the value-add-ed chain of agricultural production are optimised with intelligent manage-ment tools. Precise data collection and analysis forms the basis for smart farming. The data is cross-linked and used intelligently to increase efficien-cy. People often talk about Agricul-ture 4.0 in connection with the generic term smart farming.

PRECISION FARMINGLarge areas of farmland display differ-ences in soil quality, nutritional make-up etc. Precision farming is a systematic approach to the site-spe-cific management of fields. It includes all of the steps from precise capture of position data to data processing right through to the individual work steps based on the evaluation of the data. The key element here is the combination of satellite-based posi-tioning and geo information systems such as GPS and new developments in sensor technology and machine control.

There have been similar develop-ments in livestock farming and the dairy industry, grouped together un-der the term precision livestock farming.

1 175 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

5.70Norway

Rank 5

5.79Netherlands

Rank 4

5.93Sweden

Rank 3

farming is also highly advanced outside Australia, particularly in the U.S. This is due to extremely large farming areas as well as a shortage of skilled professionals in agricul-ture and structural changes in the industry. In the Mid-West, for example, many fields are leased, so there is particularly strong demand for precise information on the qual-ity of individual areas of farmland, or the fields. And the larger the individual fields, the more urgent the need for subplot cultivation, as larger fields can display more differences in the quality in the soil. This precise informa-tion on large fields is particularly interesting for farms in Eastern Germany, as many fields changed hands after reunification.

FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONPrecision farming, precision livestock farm-ing, smart farming: Both in the barns and on the fields, an abundance of data fuels inno-vation, just like in industry. Many people say that this will be nothing less than the fourth industrial revolution.

NETWORKED READINESS INDEXThe World Economic Forum publishes the ‘Networked Readiness Index’, which assesses to what extent a country exploits the opportu-nities of digitisation. Finland took first place in the 2014 index. The index comprises 54 differ-ent indicators that range from technological in-frastructure and political conditions to user behaviour in relation to the Internet. A total of 148 countries were recorded in the index.

5.97Singapur

Rank 2

6.04Finland

Rank 1

5.50Germany

Rank 12

DIGITALTractors nowadays are equipped with state-of-the-art displays and steering mechanisms.

1 2 75 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

I N F O C U S

It is predicted that some 50 billion devices across the globe will be connected to the Internet by 2020. Generation Gaming is going from strength to strength. How is BayWa keeping pace?Prof. Lutz: We are pursuing a range of strategies. Take the successful development of the renewable energies business as an example. Here, BayWa r.e. renewable energy GmbH is now involved in a one-off, cross-industry joint venture under the name BEEGY GmbH, which is focused on the future of energy – renewable, decen-tralised and smart. The ‘BEEGY’ brand bundles energy production, services and IT. The company develops end-to-end solutions and services for private customers, trade, commerce and industry. The central theme here is that more and more households and companies are acting as producers and consumers of green energy at the same time.

We are seeing digitisation in all areas, from pre­cision farming through to nutrition apps. How is BayWa approaching this?We are working very hard in this area. The trade of agri-cultural engineering parts is running successfully via TecParts, and the ab-auction auction platform, where top-quality used machinery is traded online, is a hit. The BayWa online shop, which covers a wide range from ani-mal supplies to wood pellets right through to power tools, allows us to reach new customers who we never would have found on traditional channels. For me, it’s not about playing brick-and-mortar retailing and Internet retailing

against each other. Only by cleverly combining these two methods will we be able to acquire customers on a continu ing basis.

You mention a combination of the real and the vir­tual. Can you provide us with an example?Take precision farming. The abundance of new data and technological options are only effective when integrated with the experience of the farmer and trained personnel. BayWa provides support when it comes to harnessing the full potential of precision farming methods – and of course, this means that we have to bring our consulting expertise to the digital world, too. One starting point was the Agri-Check app, which already has around 41,000 users.

Key data regarding the farmer’s assets and arable land is in the cloud. Many people have issues with data protection and data security in the cloud.Data privacy is central to our activities. Our digitisation strategy goes hand in hand with technical data protection and sensitive handling of information. I believe that the openness of each individual to new opportunities and awareness for online security are inextricably linked. One thing is clear: Digitisation is just like globalisation – we have no choice, as a company, whether to opt in or out. Both are happening, and BayWa wants to play a creative role in shaping this change.

On all channels

New products, new services: Digitisation is fundamentally changing our world. CEO PROF. KLAUS JOSEF LUTZ explains how BayWa is positioning itself within the framework of Industry 4.0 and Agriculture 4.0.

1 375 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

Thirsty for beerDry, with a hint of mandarin, and a geranium finish – it sounds like a good red wine. But this is not a wine connoisseur talking, it is someone holding an iconically styled beer bottle. CRAFT BEER is a trend that is inspiring young brewers around the world to produce high-quality beers.

1 4 75 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

The breweries have names like Evil Twin, Störtebeker and Wildwuchs. While the products of global brewing companies are becoming more similar in

terms of taste, so called micro breweries are increasingly focusing on individuality, quality and regionality. And business is fruitful – craft beer is booming. Names like No War, Sound-wave and Dogma have been embraced. It is all about attitude to life. “In the U.S., the home of craft beer, the market share is now eight per cent,” says Dr. Werner Glossner, Manag-ing Director of the Association of Independ-ent Breweries in Bavaria. Earlier this year, the Boston Brewing Company – a pioneer in the craft beer movement – was among the winners of the association’s Bavarian Order of Beer for best beer. The market share for craft beer is currently one per cent, both in Germany and globally, and is growing rapidly.

RECIPES AVAILABLE ONLINEWith a citrus or honey flavour, or a refreshing kick like a fruit drop, beer crafters want ingre-dients, regional flavours and the history of the product to shine through. Brewers post their recipes online for beer lovers to discuss and brew themselves. “Beer can quickly polarise people. The brewers are breaking down con-ceptual barriers,” says Dr. Glossner.

The German Purity Law often sets limits on experimenting, even internationally. But within this framework, brewers can fine-tune what is made from hops, malt and water. There are 700 flavouring agents. “The entire spectrum of 150 varieties of hops and 40 vari-eties of malt are used,” says Dr. Glossner. The hops determines the character. The alpha acids in the hops provide the bitter notes and brewers are prepared to spend more for higher quality hops. It is a similar situa tion with malt, which is usually made from spring bar-ley. Brewers in southern Germany add gen-erous amounts to get their individual flavours, often up to 34 kilograms per 100 litres  –

BayWa trades hops and malting barley from the German growing areas and places great value on long-term partnerships with breweries and malt-ing plants. As an international corporation, BayWa monitors global developments and sup-ports customers when it comes to variety devel-opment, for example.

almost twice as much as in conventional beers.

The higher amount of quality hops and the close to double the amount of malt is good for the markets that are developing positively for special varieties. In search for something unique, older varieties of hops are increasingly finding their way into the brewing vats. They are often added as pure hops rather than the usual pellet form. Hallertauer Mittelfrüh and Tettnanger would have almost died out if not for the new demand. Both varieties originate from Germany, the largest producer of hops with a global market share of over 40 per cent. In 2014, this amounted to close to 38,000 tons of 94,000 tons produced worldwide. Around 80 per cent of German hops comes from the Hallertau area in Bavaria.

The U.S. produces close to 35 per cent of the world’s hops, and there are large growing areas in the Czech Republic and China. Mov-ing on to barley, European malting barley is in demand all over the world. 50 per cent of the global market is based in Europe. France, the UK, Germany and Denmark produce the largest quantities. As one of the world’s larg-est producers of malt, Germany has to import additional barley.

It is important to new brewers where ingredients come from. The Great American Beer Festival in Denver is a global compe-tition with 300 micro breweries taking part every year and over one thousand beers on hand to sample. First prize: The Boston Brewing Company, the initiator of the festi-val, includes the winning beer in its seasonal range for one year. It is a telling example of how the new generation of brewers ticks.

CRAFT BEER: BREWERIES AROUND

THE WORLD

USA: 2,500

ITALY: 800

BRAZIL: 600

SWITZERLAND: 400

JAPAN: 200

1 575 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

M A R K E T S

A grid full of opportunitiesThe power still comes from the plug socket, but more and more consumers are playing a part in ENERGY PRODUCTION . We are becoming prosumers.

1 6 75 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

Battery 1 in the hybrid tractor works hard during the wheat harvest. Battery 2 is at home in the yard, being charged with surplus energy from the grid. It

steps in when the photovoltaic system in the field does not produce enough power. And if ever the wind turbine in the yard stops rotat-ing, the vegetable oil generator can switch on, just in case. This is a vision that can be realised on any scale – for a farm, a whole village or even an entire region. “This is how we can create the largest and most intelli-gent back-up power stations in the world. When we talk about the energy transition, it all comes down to rural areas, because that’s where we are building the wind turbines and the large photovoltaic systems,” says Ludwig Karg, Managing Director at B.A.U.M. Consult GmbH, which provides consult-ing services on all aspects of the switch to renewables.

OWN ENERGY MIX What is on your list? A new sofa and a few tea lights – and a solar module for the roof. Even IKEA now sells self-assembly kits for private solar power plants. The trend is moving more towards consumers becoming prosumers. In other words, energy consumers are increas-ingly producing their own energy. By produc-ing their own solar power, homeowners gain a degree of independence and companies lease PV systems in order to make the elec-tricity mix greener and more regional (see box).

These are two examples of the energy transition from the bottom up. It is neces-sary to improve the extent to which power distribution in the network is automated,

OUTLOOKFocussing on innovative services and products for intelligent, decen-tralised energy management, BEEGY GmbH is a unique cross- industry joint venture established by BayWa r.e. renewable energy GmbH together with its partners. BEEGY is a provider of complete solutions and system integration options. The company bundles de-centralised energy production from renewables, services and IT compo-nents (see interview on page 13).

LEASING MODELS Installing a photovoltaic unit without any investment costs for the user of the solar energy: This is currently happening on European roofs. Leasing is the key word here. One example is BayWa r.e. renewable energy GmbH’s cooperation with the public utilities in Stuttgart and the energy provider Energie Süd-bayern (ESB) in order to lease solar energy units to detached and semi-detached houses. A PV unit provided and leased by BayWa r.e. is providing energy for tractor pro-duction on the roof of the AGCO/Fendt tractor factory in the Bavarian town of Marktoberdorf.

among other things, in order to better off-set fluctuating feed-in volumes from wind and solar energy. This is a key issue on the road towards developing a comprehensive smart grid that optimally regulates the com-municative networking and controlling of energy producers, storage, distribution and consumption. A network like this would be able to cope with millions of prosumers.

NEW MARKETS Online energy management is central in this respect. In order to make a quantum leap towards a decentralised and sustainable supply of energy, “we need new electronic markets where private individuals and energy companies can trade innovative and regional energy products and system services,” says Ludwig Karg. Karg is Head of Ancillary Research for the ‘E-Energy – Smart Energy made in Germany’ technology programme operated by the German Ministry of Econom-ics. The programme used six model regions to further develop and explore the Internet of Energy, or in other words, digital options to sustainably manage the supply of energy.

The Internet of Energy is part of the Internet of Things. It is predicted that some 50 billion devices across the globe will be connected to the Internet by 2020. This will for example include devices like printers that can independently order colour cartridges online.

The Internet of Things also directly addresses energy supply. Some countries already use smart meters. These are clever metering devices for home energy manage-ment that provide fundamental data, enabling users to run the washing machine with low cost green energy, for example.

1 775 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

M A R K E T S

Are you an ovo-lacto vegetarian, a vegan, or a flexitarian? It is all the rage to take a more conscious approach to food, and not just in the world’s metropo-lises. Are we seeing a new attitude to eating? An interview with historian and cultural scientist PROF. GUNTHER HIRSCHFELDER about food trends and nutrition ideologies.

Vegetarian snacks, luxury vegan restaurants, and curated menus are popular in German-speaking countries. Is this a sign of a new attitude to eating?It’s difficult to say exactly. We’re experiencing a time of rapid change. In affluent societies, this also applies to food. Take a moment and think back to the beginnings of organic production. Brands like Demeter and Bioland are still out there, but they have declined in significance. That being said, organic quality is now widespread, just in a slightly weaker form. You can find organic products in all discount supermarkets. This twist in the organic sector is continuing in some parts of the world. Other trends here in Germany such as bubble tea and perhaps also smoothies could be classified as short-lived novelties. The sustainability of trends lies in individual motivation. Wanting to eat healthily or save the planet, in other words, to act ethically, which is often the case with those who do not eat meat, provides stronger motivation than following fads when it comes to individual self-image.

A German sausage, a bagel, or sushi: What value does food have in Berlin and New York, Tel Aviv and Shanghai? Although there are close to two billion people around the world who still have barely enough food to provide ad- equate nutrition, eating is increasingly becoming a lifestyle in affluent societies. The food that we eat defines our iden-tity. In this day and age, you can go to any party and find people to chat with about how to make roast seitan tastier – a meat substitute made from wheat protein. People are often more interested in food than politics. We no longer ask questions like: Were you in the Army? We’re more like

to ask: What do you like to eat? Veganism, regional cuisine, and ethnic food are the new ideologies of affluence.

Will we all be eating the same thing some day? No, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. We eat more regional food than we think. The new ideology also means we want to be different, to stand out from the crowd and be individ-ual. Regional cuisine plays an important role in this respect. Besides, our brains are hardwired for change. Let me give you an example. Some years ago, I discovered what

I thought was going to be my favourite white wine. It was a lovely one from the Moselle region. I thought to myself, “This is going to be my house wine”. I rarely drink it now. We all have stories like this.

Right now, two billion people around the world are suffering from hunger. Are these new food trends just mocking this fact?You could certainly view it that way. But to the credit of people who are conscious about what they eat, at least

Tell me about what you eat ...

“ Veganism, regional cuisine, and ethnic food are the new ideologies of affluence.”P R O F. G U N T H E R H I R S C H F E L D E R

1 8 75 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

I N T E R V I E W

they are thinking about it. For example, they are asking themselves whether buying Fair Trade products really helps farmers in Bolivia or if it would be better if those farmers used their fields to grow food for themselves. People today are better informed than they used to be. They are well aware that resource scarcity and hunger are more and more likely to lead to conflict. Over two-thirds of the world’s population have been completely left behind and have few opportunities to improve their lives in the short term.

If people in affluent societies were more con-scious about food, would it change anything? Only to a very small extent. But people who eat con-sciously often have a basic need for fairness and they want to act. Put simply: I’m not eating meat and as a result, I’m fighting against hunger and climate change. Food is the new ideology in affluent societies and often replaces political action. The allegation that we cannot feed the current population of the planet with organic products without sacrificing the amount of meat we consume is irrelevant here.

Organic, meat-free, seasonal, and regional: To what extent do trends influence agriculture?Agriculture is planned for the long term. Short-lived trends have little impact here. The more sustainable the development, the more it can change farming. The increased number of organic farms in German-speak-ing countries is a good example. The influence of meat-free diets is rather weak, as meat is traded globally and we’re seeing an increased level of demand around the

world. Nevertheless, there is a paradigm shift towards more sustainability in farming. But this is due to climate change and subsequent natural disasters, soil erosion, water shortages and resource conflicts. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), crop yields will rise with an average temperature increase of up to 2.5°C, and then drop sharply.

What is your own approach to food? I keep it varied. It goes without saying that it includes a lot of organic food, but sometimes I find myself talking about food all day and then I end up grabbing a burger at the motorway services at two o’clock in the morning. But I still find the time to enjoy what I eat. We shouldn’t be so obstinate when it comes to food. We should feel good about what we eat.

BIOProf. Dr. Gunther Hirschfelder teaches comparative cultural studies at the Uni-versity of Regensburg. As a historian, he deals extensively with nutrition and has stimulated debate on the right food to eat with his books Pure Enjoyment? Water as a Drink, a Product and a Cul-tural Object; The Future on the Table; and his latest publication What Humans are Allowed to Eat.

FEELING GOODFinding the time to enjoy food: Prof. Gunther Hirschfelder

1 975 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

Room to learn How many people do you think

live in Lusaka?” 30 hands shoot up. “500,000,” says one child. “One million,” shouts another. “It’s even more than

that. The population is actually 1.4 million,” says the teacher, pointing to an aerial pho-tograph of the city. “Would you have thought that so many people lived here?” “No,” laugh 30 children in full agreement. There is a cheerful atmosphere in the classrooms at the new school in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. In the past, lessons were cancelled when it rained. Now, though, the children have a lovely place to learn. They can take advantage of three bright classrooms with comfortable indoor temperatures and sound insulation. At break time, the boys and girls

have lots of space to play in. A school garden is still being built. The Technical University of Munich worked together with students from Zambia to develop and implement the school.

‘SECOND-CHANCE’ EDUCATION“I imagine I’ll get involved in another pro-ject in Africa when I’ve finished my Masters degree,” says Markus Lechner. He spent one month working on the building site in Zambia in the autumn of 2013. This com-mitment fits the profile of a recipient of the Germany Scholarship, which is supported by the BayWa Foundation. Lechner, a mas-ter carpenter and certified construction technician, came to university via the Master Craftsman training programme, i.e., through

A SCHOLARSHIP pro-vides students with finan-cial flexibility for their studies and an incentive to look beyond the boundaries of their area of study. We have gath-ered some highlights for you here.

ACTIVEMarkus Lechner working

on the building site of the new school in Lusaka, Zambia.

2 0 75 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

B E Y O N D B U S I N E S S

‘second-chance’ education. The 27-year old is currently in the third semester of a Masters degree in civil engineering and works as an academic assistant in the structural design and construction faculty. The money from the scholarship “is a significant part of my budget. If I didn’t have it, I would have to work a lot more on the side.” Germany Scholarship recipients must demonstrate a level of social commitment beyond their studies. Lech-ner was an engineering mechanics tutor, was heavily involved in architecture and a member of the Volunteer Fire Brigade in his home town of Kay in the German state of Bavaria. Students from all participating uni-versities can apply for the Germany Schol-arship, regardless of their background. The EU offers cross-border funding through the

OUTGOINGJustinas Pupeikis from Lithua-

nia is currently studying in Barcelona – and he feels right

at home in the city.

PROTOTYPEThe new school in Lusaka has been welcomed with open arms by the children. Students from the Technical University of Munich worked together with pupils from Zambia to develop a school building that can be set up at other locations too.

The BayWa Foundation has been promoting education projects in nu-trition and renewable energy since 1998. It has been involved in the Germany Scholarship project since its launch in 2011. Every year, the

Germany Scholarship supports around 100 students from the Technical University of Munich, the Weihen-stephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, the University of Hohenheim and the Nürtingen-Geislin-gen University. The recipients receive €300 per month, half of which is pledged by the BayWa Foun-dation, the other half comes from the Federal Government.

Scan the QR code for more information on the Ger-many Scholarship.

Erasmus programme, the world’s largest support programme for studying abroad at universities.

SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL AIDA separate programme run by the European Commission, the Erasmus Mundus excel-lence programme, makes it possible for Justinas Pupeikis from Dusetos in Lithuania to study for his Masters degree in optical physics at four different universities. After spending one semester in Marseille, France, and one in Karlsruhe, Germany, he is now studying in Barcelona. “Without the monthly €500 from the scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to attend the top-class Masters semi-nars in Spain. Being here also gives me a chance to come out of my shell,” beams the

23-year old, who is thinking about taking his final semester in Tokyo. He has also already completed internships in Vilnius and Vienna and studied abroad in Scotland.

A recent EU study on the Erasmus pro-gramme highlights the importance of study-ing and working abroad. In 2013, 64 per cent of employers indicated that international experience was a key recruitment criterion, compared with just 37 per cent in 2006. Biog-raphies like those of Justinas Pupeikis and Markus Lechner are no longer anything out of the ordinary. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develop-ment (OECD), around 4.5 million young peo-ple currently spend a period of their studies outside their countries of origin.

2 175 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

I listen to the radio and read the newspaper and Der Spiegel magazine. However, the Internet wins hands-down when it comes to weather reports.

Of course I use apps, I am Minis-ter of Media after all! Almost everyone has a smartphone these days. PeakFinder Earth is my favourite app at the moment. It uses the camera to identify mountain peaks and it shows the names. I love using this app, as I go climbing all the time.

It will never be possible to digitise emotions and life in general. The original is just far better.

I really appreciate personal let-ters. I would like to continue receiving paper letters in the future. I like having something solid, and they’re much easier to keep.

Having a mobile phone has helped me become better organ-ised, particularly when I’m on a lecture tour. Apart from that, I live my life the same way as before.

Digitisation has definitely changed my everyday life for the better. I’m on the go quite a lot. It’s so valuable and helpful for me to be able to quickly access infor-mation, no matter where I am.

Q&AThe Internet has become ubiquitous. It allows us to buy tickets for the underground, perform banking transactions and interact with friends on social networks. Digitisation is changing our lives. We spoke to ILSE AIGNER , Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology, and ALEXANDER HUBER , extreme mountaineer, about how digital trends influence their lives.

Do you use apps? If so, which one is your favourite?

How do you keep yourself in-formed about the latest news: printed press, radio, TV, or Internet?

In your eyes, what is never going to get digitised?

In your eyes, what is never going to get digitised?

Working and shopping every-where, being available around the clock. In what ways has digitisation changed your dai-ly routine?

Working and shopping every-where, being available around the clock. In what ways has digitisation changed your dai-ly routine?

ILSE AIGNERMinister

ALEXANDER HUBERExtreme mountaineer

2 2 75 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

60°60°

75°

Äquator

ACTIVE WORLDWIDE

BayWa is an international trading company and active in nearly every corner of the globe. 75|60°, the new BayWa magazine, intends to connect the geographical space between the latitudes of 75° north and 60° south, which represent the area in which BayWa can be active.

This magazine is made from FSC®-certified paper. By purchasing FSC® products, we support responsible forest management subject to controls according to the stringent social, ecological and economic criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council®.

IMAGE CREDITS

Cover: Farmade.com/Reed Business Informa-tion Limited; p. 2: Horsch Maschinen GmbH, © iStock.com/Silvrshootr, Prof. Dr. Gunther Hirschfelder, Charlotte Reith; p. 3: Wolf Hei-der-Sawall; p. 4/5: © Shutterstock.com/Kladej; p. 6/7: Garmin, © Shutterstock/Ivonne Wierink, © iStock.com/pomvit, © Fotolia/Pe-ter Maszlen; p. 8/9: © iStock.com/stockcam, Farmade.com; p. 10/11: Fritzmeier Umwelt-technik GmbH & Co. KG, Horsch Maschinen GmbH, BayWa AG; p. 12: Werksfoto AGCO Fendt, megastocker/Shutterstock.com; p. 13: Thomas Dashuber; p. 14/15: © iStock.com/Silvrshootr, © iStock.com/kumdinpitak; p. 16/17: © Shutterstock.com/gyn9037, vectorstock.com/ecelop, Smoki, shai_halud, aleksander1, © iStock.com/rhoon; p. 18/19: Prof. Dr. Gunther Hirschfelder; p. 20/21: Charlotte Reith, Matthias Kestel, In-drė Pupeikytė; p. 22: Christian Brecheis, Franz Hinterbrandner; p. 23: Cartoonstock.com/Larry Lambert.

CONTACT/PUBLICATION INFORMATION

Publisher, coordination and content: BayWa AG PR/Corporate Communications Arabellastrasse 4 81925 Munich, Germany Telephone: +49 89 9222 - 3651 www.baywa.com

Concept, copy and design:verberei, Munich www.verberei.de

Translation:Think Golbal Language Solutions, Berlin www.think-global.com

If you no longer wish to receive BayWa maga-zine or would like to receive an extra copy, please contact our Customer Service Centre by telephone at: +49 851 75634 - 390 or by e-mail: 7560@baywa.de

You can also read BayWa magazine online at www.baywa.com

"These cowbells are driving me crazy. If they want to track us, they should just give us smartphones."

2 375 60° 1 / 2 0 1 5

L A S T B U T N O T L E A S T

BayWa AGArabellastrasse 481925 MunichGermany