Research
Our research is motivated by the ultimate goal to contribute to achieving a sustainable and resilient agricultural and food sector.
To this end, we mainly focus on understanding farmer decision making in a variety of contexts using survey and experimental methods, as well as secondary data. We explore topics such as agricultural production decisions, technology adoption and extension effectiveness, climate change mitigation, animal welfare and recently farmers’ protests.
Sometimes, we also explore consumer decisions in relation to sustainable food choices.
Below are examples or current and past research projects. If you are interested in any of these topics and want to work with us, please get in touch.
Farmers’ Protests
At the end of 2023 and in early 2024, a wave of farmers’ protests swept across Germany and many other EU countries, drawing widespread attention from the public, media, and policymakers. Our research examines the motivations and media representations behind these protests to better understand the challenges facing European agriculture.
[Poster]
Farmers’ Voices in European Protests
The 2024 farmers’ protests across Europe signaled widespread dissatisfaction in the agricultural sector. While low farm incomes and restrictive environmental regulations are commonly cited grievances, little is known about underlying motivations and individual farmers’ reasons for protesting.
Our study explored individual farmers’ protest motivations in Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands to gain a deeper understanding of the diverse concerns shaping agricultural discontent across Europe. We analyzed rich text data from 2,232 farmers, collected through surveys using an open-ended question designed to elicit unprompted, top-of-mind protest reasons. By using a combination of hand and AI-assisted coding, we quantify protest reasons across countries, assess the emotional tone of farmers’ answers, and explore how this aligns with policy responses
The results reveal that the reasons for protest differ across countries. German farmers most often complained about bureaucracy, French farmers emphasized financial difficulties, Belgian farmers voiced a wide range of concerns, while Dutch farmers focused mainly on political issues. The tone of farmers’ answers also varied: specific frustrations were often expressed in an annoyed angry tone, while broader topics seem to trigger aggressive anger.
When comparing these concerns with national and EU policy responses, we found that while some key grievances were addressed, environmental issues tended to receive disproportionate attention from policymakers. The findings from this study have important implications with the potential to improve the effectiveness of policy responses by contributing to the identification of adequate solutions to ease farmers’ grievances.
You can read the full article here.
[picture EU protests with map]
Media Analysis: How Are the Protests Reported?
In another study we explored newspaper articles about farmers’ protests from major German media outlets to explore reporting frequency, key topics, and tone. Protest events and policy criticism were the most prominent themes, with differences in tone observed across media with different political orientations. These patterns highlight how media framing can vary and why understanding such differences is important for public communication and policy dialogue. You can find the full article [here], and also see an overview of the results below.
[media picture]
Understanding Support for Climate Policies in Agriculture
Farmers are at the heart of Europe’s efforts to make agriculture more climate-friendly. However, policies can only succeed if they gain the trust and support of those they affect most. This project explores the underlying factors that motivate farmers' support for climate policies and investigates the potential of different framings to enhance the relatability and support of these policies.
Using cross-country experimental evidence, the project investigates how communication and policy framing can strengthen farmers’ engagement and support for effective climate measures in agriculture.
For more information, visit the project website: https://sites.google.com/view/eucollaborationclimate/home
ZERN http://en.zern-verbund.de/ (Future of Nutrition in Lower Saxony)
ZERN is a research and transfer network initiated by the University of Göttingen, the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover and the German Institute of Food Technology in Quakenbrück, which aims to support the transformation of the agricultural and food system in Lower Saxony, which is under increasing pressure to adapt. The findings from the research alliance should enable the sustainable production, processing and marketing of food.
The chair of economics of sustainable agri-food systems leads the project Information Provision Strategies for Sustainable and Climate-friendly Production Methods: An Analysis of Lower Saxony’s Dairy Sector. https://zern-verbund.de/informationsbereitstellungsstrategien-fuer-nachhaltige-und-klimafreundliche-produktionsmethoden-eine-analyse-des-milchsektors-in-niedersachsen/
This project focuses on climate change mitigation strategies for Lower Saxony’s dairy sector, aiming to equip farmers with tailored information and tools to support emission reduction practices in the region. The project will include all major climate change mitigation measures that are possible at the individual farm level, but in line with ZERN themes and ongoing projects, one specific focus will be on mitigation options related to grassland.
agri:change
The transformation of agriculture is a task for society as a whole. As part of the five-year joint project agri:change, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and citizens are working together to develop pathways toward a resilient agri-food system. The project aims to shape transformation processes, use resources efficiently, improve animal welfare, open up new business opportunities, and promote acceptance and participation. Through transdisciplinary collaboration, practice-oriented real-world labs, and dialogue with stakeholders, the project aims to contribute to an ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable agriculture in Lower Saxony.
Under the coordination of the and in close cooperation with the trafo:agrar network, four agri:labs are developing and testing practical solutions. These focus on sustainable value creation systems, innovative livestock farming, strengthening the circular economy through the use of by-products, and integrated agricultural landscape development.
agri:lab X1: Sustainable Value Creation Systems & Transparency
agri:lab X2: Future-oriented Livestock Farming
agri:lab X3: Upcycling of Plant and Animal By-products
agri:lab X4: Integrated Agricultural Landscape Development
In addition, three cross-cutting themes address issues related to market and environmental linkages, social acceptance, and legal frameworks.
The chair of economics of sustainable agri-food systems is involved in two projects in agrilab X1:
New Business Models in Agri-Food Systems: Income Alternatives through Biodiversity and Carbon Sequestration conducted in collaboration with the Hochschule Osnabrück. The project explores how innovative business models for environmental services can be co-designed and tested together with farmers, food companies, and consumers.
Strengthening Education and Participation for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems. The project investigates how knowledge transfer can increase the acceptance and effectiveness of climate and environmental measures in agriculture.
Climate Change and Agriculture
The agricultural sector contributes to, but is also impacted by climate change.
In the ERA-NET funded project 'SmartDairy' we assess challenges, innovations and solutions to achieve a climate smart food system with a focus on dairy production. In Ireland, we explore how to make carbon trading in the agri-food sector operational. You can find out more about the project here.
Among other things, we explore what farmers think about implementing a cap-and-trade program in the agricultural sector and whether consumers are willing to offset carbon emissions from their dairy and meet consumption.
Other research focuses on what farmers can do to mitigate climate change. In one project, we explore eco-efficiency of Irish dairy farms and its development over time. In a previous project, we explored the link between productivity improvements and GHG emissions. This work is published in Agricultural Economics and you can find the paper here and a short report here.
Information Provision and Climate Change
Information provision is very important to facilitate the transition to sustainable and resilient food systems, but it is often less effective than anticipated.
For example, one focus of our group is on information provision for farmers to support the uptake of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation measures. For this, we conducted a survey that included a randomized information experiment with over 500 livestock farmers in Ireland to test how to increase engagement of farmers with climate change information. You can read a short policy paper published in EuroChoices here.
In a related project, we conducted an information experiment with Irish dairy farmers to investigate behavioural factors in the uptake of clover as a GHG mitigation measure. This work is in collaboration with Teagasc, Ireland.
Animal Health and Welfare
The agricultural sector increasingly receives negative press coverage, for example, due to animal welfare or environmental concerns. Failure to maintain public acceptance could drive negative perceptions and reduce trust, lowering consumer demand and creating legislative or regulatory pressures.
In a recent paper, we explored over 500 Irish dairy farmers’ choices to view a picture of transported dairy calves. Our findings show that over 20% of farmers prefer to remain in a state of ignorance (you can find the paper here)
In a previous project, we explored the implication of dairy sector expansion and calf welfare (you can find the paper published in the Journal of Dairy Science here). We also explored the link between animal welfare, altruism and policy support, which is published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics (you can find the paper here). This work was funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
In the same project, we also assessed biosecurity practices and economic outcomes on Irish dairy farms. This paper is published in the Journal of Animal Science (you can find the paper here).
Organic Agriculture and GHG Emissions
Organic agri-food systems offer an alternative to the sustainability challenges of conventional systems, as they are widely recognized for their environmental benefits. However, whether organic production facilitates a pathway towards lower GHG emissions is still under debate.
In this project, we investigate the Brazilian agricultural sector to determine whether and how the expansion of organic agriculture affects the sector’s environmental performance in terms of GHG emissions. We use secondary data with an 18-year time series structure that provides comprehensive information on the characteristics of the agricultural sector and its respective GHG emissions at the municipality level.