Humboldt’s 'Naturgemälde' can pave the way for lasting agro-ecological transitions
- From
-
Published on
29.01.20
- Impact Area

Chimborazo—the indestructible, snow-capped “throne of nature,” as Simón Bolívar called the imposing volcano in Ecuador—that’s where a dashing Alexander von Humboldt formulated his vision of nature back in 1802. Having ascended that “stairway of titans” and been granted with “unobstructed vistas” on past and yet-to-be eternities, everything crystalized for the young Humboldt, born 250 years ago last fall. A detailed croquis of the mountain’s cross-section embodied all his thinking—a microcosm on one single page, mirroring how nature is a true web of life, a united whole… a global force. When drawing his “painting of nature” (or Naturgemälde), Humboldt realized how he simply couldn’t just be a geologist or a botanist in order to fully grasp and comprehend all its inter-connections.
Image: Alexander von Humboldt, by Friedrich Georg Weitsch.
Related news
-
Harnessing digital tools in securing soil health for Africa’s food future
Sehlule Muzata27.06.25-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
-
Environmental health
-
Nutrition, health & food security
-
Poverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs
Nairobi, 27 June 2025 (IITA) - As it marks its first anniversary, the Regional Hub…
Read more -
-
Harnessing digital tools in securing soil health for Africa’s food future
Sustainable Farming Science Program27.06.25-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
-
Environmental health
-
Food security
-
Poverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs
Nairobi, 27 June 2025 (IITA) - As it marks its first anniversary, the Regional Hub…
Read more -
-
Raising productivity and profits, How AgWise is Closing Yield Gaps through AI
Sehlule Muzata20.06.25-
Adaptation
-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
-
Environmental health
-
Food security
-
Poverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs
Nairobi, 20 June 2025 (IITA) - Across Africa smallholder farmers battle working with degraded soils,…
Read more -