Internationally, agriculture faces several challenges in near future: A decrease in resources (e.g. arable land, water, loss of biodiversity) and changes of production conditions (e.g. climate, biomass for energetic use versus foodstuff production) are accompanied by an increased demand for agricultural products for the nutrition of a growing global population. To meet these requirements, a more efficient production of animal-derived foods in terms of economic use of resources and desired product quality is necessary. Animal welfare is increasingly understood as a basic quality argument for animal-derived food, and consequently influences the acceptance of the products by the consumers.

The development of adequate production strategies requires experts, which are able to develop and to apply knowledge and methods of genetics, physiology, ethology and animal health in a system-oriented approach.

The International Leibniz Graduate School on Functional Diversity in Farm Animals (ILGS DivA) provides a training platform for interested graduates to obtain the relevant qualifications. The eight projects together with the curriculum aim at the understanding of basic processes of performance and welfare of farm animals, and of the quality of animal-derived products. The participants will be enabled to develop and to implement future breeding programs and husbandry systems.