2000: The 50-year anniversary and the following years

On the 29.9.2000 we celebrated the 50th birthday of our Department with a festive congress. It was an occasion to look back at half a century of extension education. The contents are documented in a book. In 2001, the fully expanded and revised edition from Volker Hoffmanns „habilitation“-thesis was published in German, French and English. CTA in Wageningen supports the circulation of the foreign language editions of this book about “Picture Supported Communication in Africa”. At the end of 2002, the English edition went into a new edition. Also in 2001, the book, „Extension for farms facing bankruptcy“ was published and dedicated to Hartmut Albrecht on his 75th birthday.

2002 was the year of awards: Kirsten Probst received the Hofbrau foundation dissertation award and Anja Christinck with Kirsten vom Brocke were awarded the Knoll-Prize from the Eiselen foundation for their interdisciplinary research and their dissertations.

In 2004, Christoph Reiber received the Ruthenberg award from the Eiselen Foundation. Simone Helmle received the Suedwest Bank Prize for her dissertation.

After being member of the management team in the Hohenlohe project, Alexander Gerber became the coordinator for ecological farming at the University of Hohenheim. He also managed one of our research projects related to education for ecological farming. Later he became the managing director of the Association of Ecological Food Business (Bund Ökologischer Lebensmittelwirtschaft BÖLW) in Berlin.

On the 6 April 2005, our emeritus, Prof. Dr. Hartmut Albrecht, passed away in Nuertingen at the age of 79. 

In 2007, we published "The History of Agricultural Extension in Malawi"; also the extensive final report from the Hohenlohe project was finally released from oekom publishers as a two piece volume. Our methods handbook “Transdisciplinary Research” then followed in 2009 from the same publisher, also being based on the experience gained from the Hohenlohe project. And finally, in the same year we completed the third edition of our „Handbook Rural Extension”, at least volumes 1 and 2.

There were significant changes also in the whole institute. A new chair for Gender and Nutrition was created, firstly occupied by Ms. Prof. Dr. Eva Barlösius followed by Ms. Prof. Dr. Anne C. Bellows. In return, Prof. Dr. Dr. habil. Franz Kromka’s chair was discontinued when he retired in 2009. 

At the end of 2009 Volker Hoffmann gave up the ATSAF (Council for Tropical and Subtropical Agricultural Research) chairmanship, which was then taken by Folkhard Asch. In summer 2010 Hoffmann became vice dean of studies and, in return, he handed on his functions in the examination and internship committees.