At the beginning of 2026, a transnational, three-year research project on climate change adaptation was launched in the regions of Bavaria, South Tyrol, and Austria. The aim is dry beans and sorghum as climate-resilient and economically viable crops for agriculture in the Alpine region. Project management in each of the three regions is handled by the Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture (LfL) , the Laimburg Research Centre in South Tyrol, and the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein in Austria .
Climate change poses major challenges, particularly for agriculture in the Alpine region. Heat, droughts, and unreliable rainfall are causing traditional crops to lose yield security. At the same time, the demand for regional, plant-based foods is growing. Beans and millet offer a promising alternative – but experience, regional variety comparisons, and functioning value chains are lacking.
The project addresses this very issue. Starting in 2026, variety trials for millet and dried beans will be conducted simultaneously . The trials will examine yield, lodging resistance, drought tolerance, ripening behavior, nutritional and culinary value, and suitability for processing. In addition, innovative methods for harvesting, cleaning, and processing tested – in collaboration with regional farms and food processing companies.
This cross-border collaboration aims to create, for the first time, comparable data for the entire Alpine region. A shared knowledge management system, regular network meetings, and publications ensure that research, practice, and data processing are closely interconnected.
The results of the three-year project are intended to open up new perspectives for regional value chains – from gluten-free millet products to regional beans for plant-based protein alternatives.
Research cooperation Bavaria-South Tyrol-Austria
The project is being managed and funded through the Bavaria-South Tyrol-Austria research cooperation. The organizational and financial partners are the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Climate Protection, Regions and Water Management, the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism, and the South Tyrolean Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism.
CONTACT – PROJECT
Contact Project Management Austria:
DI Dr. Walter Starz and DI Daniel Lehner
Department for Organic Grassland and Organic Arable Farming
Higher Federal Teaching and Research Institute Raumberg-Gumpenstein
HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein
Location 4651 Stadl-Paura in Upper Austria
+43 3682 22451 420; Mobile: 06645133912
Raumberg 38, 8952 Irdning-Donnersbachtal
