Lilian Beck, M.Sc.
Doctoral candidate (extern)
Lilian is currently conducting her PhD project at the Institute for Social Sciences of Agriculture at the University of Hohenheim on "Inter-organizational learning activities to boost agroforestry dissemination" and is facilitating a transdisciplinary action research with small-scale farmers in Cambodia in collaboration with the World Agroforestry Center holding a scholarship by ATSAF Academy. As part of the PhD program, she provided courses for local extension actors in Farmer Field School Facilitation and collaborated in developing educational materials for FiBL. Prior to this, Lilian had been working as a research associate at University Kassel, coordinating the postdoc fellowship program by VW Stiftung, facilitating participatory video and radio production with different stakeholders in agroecological projects and assisted in developing a PhD program on transdisciplinary research with academia from Russia and Kazakhstan. She also worked as an International Field Specialist for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Cambodia, facilitating participatory processes to identify climate-smart agricultural approaches, and coordinating Farmer Field School implementation. Lilian also conducted action research on alternative extension services for the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) as collaborative researcher and studied barriers to the adoption of agroecological approaches for her Master thesis with CIAT in Cambodia. Lastly, for her Bachelor's thesis, she undertook an Anthropological field study in an organic cotton cooperative in Kyrgyzstan.
Inter-organizational learning activities to boost agroforestry dissemination
Lilian has a special interest in the farmer first approach, transdisciplinary action research, and participatory video making. Her focus study areas are indigenous cultures, agro-ethnology, agroecology, agroforestry, climate-smart agriculture, communication and extension.
| Since 08/2024 | Research associate, Dissemination of agroforestry among farmers in the Sahel region (Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal) Sustain Sahel project, Department of Agronomy in the Tropics and Subtropics (490e), University Hohenheim |
| Since 04/2022 | PhD student, supervised by Prof. Claudia Bieling and Dep. Societal Transition and Agriculture, University of Hohenheim and Dr. Delia Catacutan, World Agroforestry Center as scholar of the ATSAF Academy funded by BMZ |
| 2021 - 2022 | Research associate and coordination, Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel |
| 2019 - 2020 | International Field Specialist, FAO Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations |
| 2018 - 2019 | Collaborative Researcher, CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Cambodia |
| 2017 - 2018 | Preschool Teacher, Walddorfkindergarten Tübingen, Germany |
| 3/2017 - 9/2017 | Master’s Thesis and Field Study, CIAT International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, Cambodia |
| 2015 - 2019 | MSc Agroecology, SLU Swedish University of Agriculture, Sweden |
| 2013 - 2014 | Field study for Bachelor thesis, Helvetas, Kyrgyzstan Topic: Anthropological research on negotiation processes in an organic cotton cooperative |
| 2011 - 2015 | BA Cultural Anthropology & Science of Education, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany |
| 2013 | Assistant Project Management, International Centre for Organic Agriculture of Central and Eastern Europe, Ekoconnect, Germany |
| Beck, L., Ouattara, M., & Cicek, H. (2025). Agroforestry in the Sahel: Recommendations for Enriching Soils, Enhancing Yields, Boosting Animal Health. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17153079 |
| Beck, L. (2025). Organic Agriculture Africa Blog: Uncovering secrets of the Miracle Tree Faidherbia albida. Blog on Knowledge Platform for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Africa. https://kcoa-africa.org/uncovering-secrets-of-the-miracle-tree-faidherbia-albida/ |
| Beck, L. (2025). Pourquoi les arbres et arbustes améliorent-ils les récoltes au Sahel?. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17454903 |
| Beck, L., & Okudi, D. G. (2025). Comment planter des arbres au Sahel?. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17450861 |
| Beck, L., & Okudi, D. G. (2025). De la graine au plant: Pépinière d'arbres et d'arbustes au Sahel. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17453240 |
| Beck, L. (2025). How farmers in the Sahel are improving their soil with local shrubs. Blog on Knowledge Platform for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Africa. https://kcoa-africa.org/how-farmers-in-the-sahel-are-improving-their-soil-with-local-shrubs/ |
| Beck, L. (2025). Uncovering secrets of the Miracle Tree Faidherbia albida. Video on Family Farming Knowledge Platform. https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/1744660/ |
| Beck, L. (2025). Agroforestry in the Sahel. In: African Organic Training Manual by FiBL (accepted, in process). |
| Beck, L., Beye, A., & Sousa, F. (2025). Application of medicinal trees and shrubs to treat gastrointestinal nematode infestations (Version 1). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15342067 |
| Beck, L., & Sousa, F. (2025). Improving yields by integrating a diversity of shrubs or trees into crop fields (Version 1). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15342117 |
| Beck, L., Koomson, E., Sousa, F., Aziz Diouf, A., & Cadisch, G. (2025). Faidherbia albida creates fertility islands and boosts yields. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17085911 |
| Beck, L., Sousa, F., Koomson, E., Aziz Diouf, A., & Cadisch, G. (2025). Increasing yields by using intercropping, pruning, and mulching with Piliostigma shrubs. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17131754 |
| Sousa, F., & Beck, L. (2025). Open Field Day events & associated Comms/Diss Reports (Version 1). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17864334 |
| Beck, L., Bieling, C., Dahlin, S., & Catacutan, D. (2024, September). On-farm challenges and solutions for small-scale farmers to establish agroforestry: A case example from Cambodia. Conference abstract, Tropentag 2024, BOKU Vienna, Vienna, Austria. |
| Beck, L., & Surendran-Padmaja, S. (2024). Can We Generate Spaces for the Transformation of Gender Norms through Extension Services?. Blog in Agricultural Extension Asia. https://aesanetwork.org/blog-212-can-we-generate-spaces-for-the-transformation-of-gender-norms-through-extension-services/ |
| Beck, L. (2023). An example of an agroforestry farm in the Sahel. Video on Agroecology Knowledge Hub. https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/1674439/ |
| Beck, L. (2023). Advantages of agroforestry in the Sahel. Video on Agroecology Knowledge Hub. https://www.fao.org/agroecology/database/detail/fr/c/1680016/ |
| Beck, L., Sousa, F., Dietemann, L., & Bissig, S. (2023). Bienfaits des arbres et arbustes dans les champs (Version 1). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10052944 |
| Beck, L., Bieling, C., Catacutan, D., Hofny-Collins, A., & Douxchamps, S. (2023, September). Collaborative learning to encourage adoption of agroecology: A participatory video-based farmer-to-farmer learning process in Cambodia. Conference abstract, Tropentag 2023, Berlin, Germany. |
| 24.10.2025 | “Living with a Changing Climate: Voices & Responses”, Workshop with Yusri Mohammed from Climate Voices (co-facilitated), online, University of Hohenheim |
| 11.09.2025 | “Roots to regions: Tracking agroforestry for scaling up”, Workshop (co-facilitated), Tropentag 2025, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany |
| 15.05.2025 | “Agroforestry Symposium: Agroecology in Africa”, Policy event (provided scientific communication materials/contributions), Sustain Sahel Project, Dakar, Senegal |
| 14.05.2025 | „Recommendations for farmers and extension actors on Agroecology in the Sahel“, Workshop to consolidate key findings with partners (facilitated), Sustain Sahel Project Closing Meeting, Dakar, Senegal |
| 21.11.2024 | “Dissemination of Agroforestry in Cambodia – The crucial role of market development”, in “Strengthening local markets and value chains to overcome food poverty – perspectives from science and practice”, Workshop, Misereor, Berlin, Germany |
| 11.09.2024 | “On-farm challenges and solutions for small-scale farmers to establish agroforestry: A case example from Cambodia”, Poster presentation, Tropentag 2024, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences für Bodenkultur (BOKU), Vienna, Austria |
| 13.09.2024 | “Approaches to upscaling Agroforestry in the Tropics”, Workshop, Tropentag 2024, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences für Bodenkultur (BOKU), Vienna, Austria |
| 13.09.2024 | “Let’s explore how to integrate gender sensitivity in agricultural research and projects.” Workshop, Tropentag Conference 2024, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences für Bodenkultur (BOKU), Vienna, Austria |
| 11.07.2024 | “Doing science differently: Working across disciplines to advance agroecology”, Panel discussion, Workshop, Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecology (Agroecology TPP), virtual |
| 25.01.2024 | “Diving into the complexity of integrating gender sensitivity into fieldwork: Experiences and reflections from Cambodia”, Seminar, ZEF Gender Group Lecture, Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung, Bonn, hybrid |
| 01.11.2023 | “Can Agroecology feed the world?”, Seminar, Science in Action Seminar series, CIFOR-ICRAF, virtual |
| 21.09.2023 | “Collaborative learning to encourage adoption of agroecology: A participatory video-based farmer-to-farmer learning process in Cambodia”, Poster presentation, Tropentag Conference 2023, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in cooperation with the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany |
| 22.09.2023 | “Challenges to promoting agroforestry”, Workshop, Tropentag Conference 2023, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in cooperation with the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany |
| 18.01.–09.02.2023 | “Farmers' field schools and agroforestry dissemination events”, course for extension actors in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal, Sustain Sahel project, The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, virtual |
| 22.03.2022 | „Participatory approaches in agricultural projects“, Workshop, Society for Sustainable Development, Witzenhausen, Germany |
| 12/2021–04/2023 | “Scientific communication via participatory video production”, course, University of Kassel, virtual |
| 18.–20.08.2019 | “Agroforestry”, Workshop for ministry and department of agriculture representatives, non-governmental organizations, and farmers, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Banlung, Cambodia |
