Olivier Honnay
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olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay
@olivierhonnay.bsky.social
5.1K followers 890 following 180 posts

Conservation biology | Agronomic ecology | Trade-offs | Professor KU Leuven | KU Leuven Plant Institute | Non-utopian

https://bio.kuleuven.be/faculty/00012061

Videos
Environmental science 37%
Agriculture 27%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

laurentfranckx.bsky.social
laurentfranckx.bsky.social @laurentfranckx.bsky.social · 13d
The obvious economics of preserving the Amazon
www.economist.com/the-americas...
From The Economist
The obvious economics of preserving the Amazon
It provides Brazil’s world-beating farmers with water, and keeps carbon locked up for the rest of us
www.economist.com

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · 19d
Ik ben alvast niet de enige zo blijkt.
archive.is

Reposted by Martin J. Attrill, Olivier Honnay, Wolfgang Crämer , and 5 more

transportenvironment.org
T&E @transportenvironment.org · Oct 9
NEW: Biofuels globally emit more than the fossil fuels they replace, our latest study shows.

The first-of-a-kind study looks at global biofuels production today and the potential impacts of government biofuel targets.
🧵⤵️

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Oct 8
We are doomed.
European Parliament votes to ban use of ‘veggie burger’ and‘plant-based sausage
European Parliament votes to ban use of ‘veggie burger’ and ‘plant-based sausage’: coalition calls decision misguided and counterproductive
www.weplanet.org

Reposted by Hans Henrik Bruun, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Richard Betts

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Oct 3
📢 Vacancy: I am urgently recruiting a PhD candidate to join a project on selection processes in pedunculate oak.
📅 Start date: no later than December 1st.

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
Your Local Epidemiologist @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social · Sep 25
7/ The previous studies were observational studies, which can detect patterns, but they can’t prove causation. Confounding factors—why someone took Tylenol in the first place, genetics, other exposures—can explain apparent links. This is why the sibling study was so important.

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

agronomistag.bsky.social
Andrew McGuire @agronomistag.bsky.social · Sep 11
Fertilizer DOES NOT burn up soil organic matter.
Long-term study finds "NP fertilization substantially augments both the quantity and stability of soil organic carbon stocks."
scienmag.com/long-term-n...
Long-Term N and P Boost Soil Carbon Storage
In the unrelenting battle against climate change, soil organic carbon (SOC) stands as a pivotal ally, intimately linking terrestrial ecosystems to global carbon cycles. Despite its vital role in climate mitigation and agroecosystem productivity, the persistent decline of SOC
scienmag.com

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

jmergeay.bsky.social
Joachim Mergeay @jmergeay.bsky.social · Sep 4
Waarom moeten we zo nodig wolven hebben in de Lage Landen? Opinie in De Standaard 3/9/25

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Sep 1
The author must have lost his mind on this.

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Sep 1
Just found out that ChatGPT effortlessly converts every thinkable old Flemish measure into English ones and the metric system 🙂.
1 Bruges hoet of wheat = 172 l ≈ 4.88 Winchester bushels.

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

jitkaklimesova.bsky.social
Jitka Klimesova @jitkaklimesova.bsky.social · Aug 30
Grime's CSR theory revisited: A whole-plant view of vascular plant functioning across contrasting environments besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Grime's CSR theory revisited: A whole‐plant view of vascular plant functioning across contrasting environments
The findings presented provide strong empirical validation of the competitor, stress-tolerator and ruderal (CSR) theory using an extensive species dataset and expand the number and types of traits th....
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

tamarhaspel.bsky.social
Tamar Haspel @tamarhaspel.bsky.social · Aug 22
Fascinating list of the scientists who have saved the most lives, via @maxroser.bsky.social at @ourworldindata.org ,

2 of the top 3 are food related:

#1 - Haber & Bosch, for synthetic nitrogen (2.3 billion)
#3 - Norman Borlaug, for high-yield crops (245 million)

Data source:
www.scienceheroes.com

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Aug 22
Doe ik.

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

stefaerts.bsky.social
Stef Aerts @stefaerts.bsky.social · Aug 22
Gezocht: lector #natuurbeheer #ecologie #wetenschappen bij @odiseehogeschool.bsky.social Agro- en biotechnologie in Sint-Niklaas.
www.odisee.be/lector-agro-...

Start: het nieuwe academiejaar
Solliciteren: asap!

Diverse opdracht, 50-100% ifv invulling.

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

mikegrunwald.bsky.social
Michael Grunwald @mikegrunwald.bsky.social · Aug 14
“We’re clear-cutting and broiling the planet to stuff our faces.” @theguardian.com did a deep dive into WE ARE EATING THE EARTH!

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Why our broken food system remains a climate disaster: ‘broiling the planet to stuff our faces’
Author Michael Grunwald reckons with the challenge of food-based climate emissions in his new book We Are Eating the Earth
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

ourworldindata.org
Our World in Data @ourworldindata.org · Aug 12
@hannahritchie.bsky.social explains why increasing agricultural productivity across Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the world’s most pressing problems: ourworldindata.org/africa-yield...
Increasing agricultural productivity across Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most important problems this century
Agricultural productivity across Sub-Saharan Africa needs to improve to reduce hunger, poverty, and the destruction of biodiversity.
ourworldindata.org

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

ourworldindata.org
Our World in Data @ourworldindata.org · Aug 12
To grow food you need two things: some land and some of your time.

Land and labor are two of agriculture’s primary inputs. To build a food system that works for people and the planet, humanity needs to achieve high productivity in both of them.
A bar chart showing agricultural value added per worker, which is calculated by dividing the amount of economic value generated from farming, forestry, and fishing by the number of people who work in those sectors. Data for 2022 is shown for 6 countries and the global average. Ag. value added per worker is relatively high in countries like Australia ($122,800) and the Netherlands ($85,200) — but relatively much lower in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as Congo ($1429), Tanzania ($874), and Uganda ($850). The data is expressed in constant 2015 US dollars; it's adjusted for inflation but doesn't account for cost of living differences between countries. The data source is the World Bank, OECD national accounts, and ILOSTAT (2025). The chart is CC BY Our World in Data.

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

economist.com
The Economist @economist.com · Aug 12
“Probing how and why the atomic bombs were deployed against Japan has become a cottage industry all of its own.” The War Room, our defence newsletter, recommends seven of the best books about the country’s defeat in the second world war
The War Room newsletter: Seven of the best books on the Pacific war
Richard Cockett, a news editor, recommends seven books about the defeat of Japan in the second world war
econ.st

Reposted by Olivier Honnay, Patrick Dunleavy

kopalo.bsky.social
Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · Aug 7
How Ethiopia avoided colonization in the late 19th century but then lagged behind in the 20th century: www.africanistperspective.com/p/how-ethiop...
How Ethiopia avoided colonization in the late 19th century but then lagged behind in the 20th century
Lessons in stateness, (failed) modernization, and economic (under)development
www.africanistperspective.com

Reposted by Terry P. Hughes, Olivier Honnay, Stacy D. VanDeveer , and 1 more

nicholasdcarter.bsky.social
Nicholas D Carter @nicholasdcarter.bsky.social · Jul 30
'Cows just replaced the methane from wild bison'

Not even close.

At their peak, wild ruminants incl. bison emitted ~15 Tg CH₄/yr

Today’s 4+ billion farmed ruminants emit over 100 Tg CH₄/yr

That’s nearly 7x more methane.

essd.copernicus.org/articles/17/...
Global Methane Budget 2000–2020
Abstract. Understanding and quantifying the global methane (CH4) budget is important for assessing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. CH4 is the second most important human-influenced gree...
essd.copernicus.org

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

speld.nl
De Speld @speld.nl · Jul 26
Hier komt deze zomer geen festival

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

nature.com
Nature @nature.com · Mar 13
NASA's Perseverance rover has found one of the strongest yet signs of Martian life

https://go.nature.com/43HXMwE
Did Mars harbour life? One of the strongest signs yet is spotted in a peculiar rock
The intriguing chemistry of a rock collected by the Perseverance rover could trace to microbial activity — or not.
go.nature.com

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Nov 30
Do agroecological practices ↗️ yields in Africa? Meta-analysis shows only effective intervention combines mineral & organic fertilizers—ironically, a taboo for orthodox agroecologists. Takeaway: lack of controlled experiments; context dependence; & use best agricultural practices, whatever they are.

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Jul 7
😱

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Jul 7
Op vakantie in het hol van de leeuw.

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

jmbecologist.bsky.social
James Bullock @jmbecologist.bsky.social · Jul 3
Totally agree. There seems to be the idea that regen ag will do the trick. See our response to a BES report

Reposted by Olivier Honnay

georgemonbiot.bsky.social
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · Jul 3
6. Then other people say, "we must rewild the world".
Yes. But it's not going to happen without major dietary change.
Eg we can't have grass-fed beef (the most land-hungry of all products) and rewilding. In fact, it drives a massive de-wilding.
At this point, half the enthusiasts shuffle away.

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Jun 11
Yields do matter.
Nitrogen does matter.
And orthodox agroecology will very likely not deliver the required productivity gains.
olivierhonnay.bsky.social Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Nov 30
Do agroecological practices ↗️ yields in Africa? Meta-analysis shows only effective intervention combines mineral & organic fertilizers—ironically, a taboo for orthodox agroecologists. Takeaway: lack of controlled experiments; context dependence; & use best agricultural practices, whatever they are.

olivierhonnay.bsky.social
Olivier Honnay @olivierhonnay.bsky.social · Jun 11
link to the paper: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org