Helena Ström

Helena Ström
Professur f. Pflanzenernährung
ETH Zürich, FMG C 17.1
Eschikon 33
8315 Lindau
E-mail:

Research Interests

The aim of my PhD project “Biochar as a soil amendment for sustainable yam systems in West Africa (Biochar4Yam)” is to assess the use of biochar produced from different organic resources as soil amendment for sustainable production of yams. The project is conducted in collaboration with YAMSYS, which is a partnership between CSRS in Côte d’Ivoire, INERA in Burkina Faso and ETH Zurich. Research will be carried out in a transdisciplinary manner at one site in Burkina Faso and one site in Côte d’Ivoire. In the first part of the project, I will assess the availability of organic wastes to produce biochar and the interest of local stakeholders. Thereafter, a 2-year field experiment will be set up at each site with the objective to analyse the effect of biochar on crop production and soil properties. Finally, the project will provide an early assessment of the adoption potential of biochar production and use in yam cultivation.

I work at the group of Plant Nutrition at ETH Zurich under the supervision of Prof. Emmanuel Frossard, but I also receive supervision from Prof. Johan Six.

Work Experience

2018 Agricultural support inspection, County Administrative Board of Värmland, Sweden
2016-2017 Human rights observer, SweFOR, Guatemala
2015-2016 Intern, ACOOC/PeaceWorks, Bogotá, Colombia
2015 Research assistant, Bioversity International, Cali, Colombia
2014 Research assistant ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture’, World Agroforestry, Nairobi, Kenya
2013 Education & outreach officer, Ya’axché Conservation Trust, Punta Gorda, Belize

Education

2013 M.Sc. Soil Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
2011 B.Sc. Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Selected Publications

Fransson, P., Kupiakova, K., Ström, H. and Dahlin, A. S. (2016), Mycorrhizal associations and soil properties of native Allanblackia stuhlmannii stands in the Eastern Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Ann Appl Biol, 169: 369–383.

Rosenstock TS, Lamanna C, Chesterman S, Bell P, Arslan A, Richards M, Rioux J, Akinleye AO, Champalle C, Cheng Z, Corner-Dolloff C, Dohn J, English W, Eyrich AS, Girvetz EH, Kerr A, Lizarazo M, Madalinska A, McFatridge S, Morris KS, Namoi N, Poultouchidou N, Ravina da Silva M, Rayess S, Ström H, Tully KL, Zhou W. 2016. The scientific basis of climate-smart agriculture: A systematic review protocol. CCAFS Working Paper no. 138. Copenhagen, Denmark: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).