Creating Resilient Agricultural Systems
Agricultural systems in transition economies are characterized by very heterogeneous structures and business models. There are large differences in their performance and they face significant challenges. These include market uncertainties, limited access to capital, land and skilled labor, underdeveloped transport, training and extension infrastructures, and climate change. Superimposed on these are the requirements of environmental and climate protection or digitalization. This raises the question of how agriculture can be enabled to fulfill its social functions in this environment.
Specifically, this thematic complex is dedicated to the analysis of entrepreneurial strategies and success factors of agroholdings as well as small-scale agricultural structures including the balancing of entrepreneurial, social and ecological goals. Another focus includes the understanding of agrarian structural processes, such as the sometimes intense local competition on land markets and the path dependency of agrarian structural change.
Current Research Projects
MSCA4Ukr
The project aims to examine the ability of Ukrainian agricultural enterprises to raise international funds for reconstruction after the Russian invasion. It focuses on meeting transparency and sustainability requirements of international investors and funders. The project is also developing sustainability measurement tools and an online platform to publish sustainability information from agricultural companies.
TRUSTFARM
TRUSTFARM aims to create integrated agroecosystems to enhance the ecosystem services of smallholder farms. The use of natural resources and circular farming is particularly important to increase the resilience of production systems to climate change. The project stretches across several regions in Europe and Africa.
Rehwinkel Resilience
This project investigates the impact of agricultural structural change on different aspects of agriculture and examines opportunities as well as conflicting goals. It uses a spatial-dynamic model in two German regions to analyze the consequences for agriculture under different scenarios and to derive recommendations for the agricultural sector and policy.
