Fields of the Future

Yet people often take it for granted. At the same time, it faces criticism. After all, agriculture also contributes to climate change, damages ecosystems, and threatens biodiversity. Yet it is itself heavily affected by these developments. It’s a vicious cycle.

We face major challenges: How can we feed everyone on Earth a healthy diet without harming nature? How can we secure the livelihoods of farmers? Policymakers can promote equitable land use and support small farms. Farmers can protect soils and make their fields more resilient to extreme weather. Researchers have long been exploring new farming methods and developing smart technologies.

And what can consumers do? They can, for example, choose more sustainable products. The Futurium’s thematic focus is dedicated to the question of how people will cultivate and use land in the future.

In the exhibition, lab, and events, you’ll discover a wide variety of approaches—from the use of AI and indoor farming to methods like agroforestry. Let’s find out together how we can successfully cultivate these fields of the future!

Superland – an installation exploring the fields of the future

A garden in the midst of gray concrete: wooden beams crisscross to form trellises, overgrown with greenery and creating a cooling canopy of leaves. The plants are arranged across five levels, sprouting and blooming.

The “Superland” installation by Parzelle X—an office for landscape architecture and nature education—and artist Benjamin Frick brings the “Fields of the Future” theme to the Futurium in a unique way. Whether it’s food security, climate change, or biodiversity loss—agriculture faces major challenges. The installation presents building blocks for solutions: among other things, new and very old seeds, a bog, and a forest garden. And it appeals to all the senses—with the greenery of the plants, the buzzing of insects, and the scent of earth and flowers. Even the underground life of the soil becomes tangible when the invisible processes in the ground are amplified acoustically and can be felt as vibrations right against the body. “Superland” is a living system at the intersection of art and science that grows and is constantly changing—despite all the adversities of everyday life.

In the exhibition

More than 10,000 years ago, humanity began practicing agriculture and raising livestock. Since then, human life—as well as the face of our Earth—has changed at an ever-increasing pace. In the exhibition, you’ll learn about the challenges surrounding agriculture and land use that we must face today and in the future—and the solutions already being developed.

The Game on Community-Supported Agriculture

Many people want to eat locally sourced food and know more about where their food comes from. At the same time, more and more small farms are being forced to close. To preserve more farms, we need comprehensive solutions from both the political and economic sectors. One approach that has been tested on a small scale is community-supported agriculture (CSA). In a game at the exhibition, you can learn how it works: Become “members” of a farm, experience a harvest year, and make decisions together!

Indoor Farming – The City as a Farm

Using a rotating miniature house, you’ll learn more about how globally important staple foods could also be grown in cities. For example, with dwarf wheat—bred specifically for space travel and capable of extremely rapid growth—that can also be cultivated indoors. Imagine this: a skyscraper where plants grow in 100 layers stacked one on top of the other. But vegetables and herbs could also thrive in old factory buildings or vacant offices. Yet space in major cities is becoming increasingly scarce in many places. How can cities produce some of their own food in the long term? At Futurium, you’ll discover visions and ideas for urban agriculture.

Agri-Photovoltaics

Do people use land to grow food or to generate energy? There’s little space for both. So it’s all the better if they can use the land for both purposes. This works when solar panels are positioned high above the fields rather than on them. Or why not have solar panels floating on lakes? The water cools the panels and makes them more efficient. This frees up land that can then be used for agriculture, for example. Generating energy, promoting biodiversity, and strengthening agriculture: The Spitalhöfe Solar Park in Villingen-Schwenningen shows how it’s done!

Half-Earth

Many areas are already under nature conservation today. But the tactile globe “Half-Earth” shows that regions with particularly high numbers of rare species remain unprotected. How can different forms of land use be reconciled with the necessary nature conservation? In the exhibition, you’ll discover some suggestions on this topic. You can already listen to this interview with scientist Antje Boetius to learn why biodiversity is so important, how nature can be preserved, and what each of us can do to help. Visit the new “Fields of the Future” exhibits in the permanent exhibition.

In the Lab

Future Landscape Simulator

Here, land becomes a place of decision-making: What do you prioritize—food production or biodiversity? Urban development or restoration? Do you focus more on the present or on the future?

The starting point for the “Future Landscape Simulator” is the question of what sustainable agriculture might look like—one that balances ecology, food security, and social justice. And that’s where you come in: Use building blocks to assemble your landscapes—with fields, forests, wetlands, settlements, and solar farms. The physically built structures are brought to life in a digital projection. In real time, you can experience how the farming methods and land uses you’ve chosen affect the environment, crop yields, and social structures.

Double Harvest

Time for a change of perspective: With “Double Harvest,” you’ll interactively explore virtual landscapes to see what sustainable agriculture could look like in practice. At the first station, you’ll chug along in a tractor through the topic of agri-photovoltaics. Here, energy production via photovoltaics and agriculture are combined on a single plot of land. At the second station, you’ll discover the benefits of trees and shrubs forming a unified whole with field crops—a tour through the agroforestry system shows how this nature-based form of farming promotes biodiversity. At the third station, you’ll take on the role of a bumblebee and explore the impressive micro-world in all its diversity. Don’t forget to provide feedback—we’ll evaluate your expectations, assessments, hopes, and fears regarding the experience afterward.

Shared Grounds

Here, the focus is on the soil: “Shared Grounds” invites you to think along and help shape the experience. This participatory installation serves as a playground for thoughts, ideas, and models—and it continues to evolve through your input. In workshops, you’ll develop creative prototypes on topics such as soil health, water stress, or equitable access to land, which will then enrich the installation. In this way, “Shared Grounds” becomes a collective vision of possible futures and continually sparks discussion and reflection. Learn more here.

The Invisible – The Visible

When we look at a plant, much remains hidden from us. How does it grow underground, for example? Digital technologies can help us better understand the interplay between plants, soil, and the environment. Cameras, sensors, and algorithms capture information that often remains invisible to the human eye. In this way, we learn to understand the language of plants and use resources more consciously. Two murals show how these technologies can be used. Learn more here.

New Audio Guide Tour

Want to find all the exhibits related to agriculture in the exhibition? No problem with the new themed tour “Fields of the Future”! It guides you directly to the right stations and provides plenty of interesting facts along the way. And the best part is: you don’t have to download anything! Just connect to the Wi-Fi, bring your own headphones, open the page, and you’re ready to go!