Are you passionate about sustainability and ready to tackle complex systems? Do you want to explore how food and land use systems can be transformed to address global challenges while considering uncertainties, technology, and policy?
We are seeking a motivated PhD candidate to join the Business Economics group at Wageningen Univeristy & Research! Current food and land use systems need to be transformed into systems that are more sustainable and better connected to local contexts and cultures. In recent years, numerous transformation scenarios and models have been developed to address th.is need. These scenarios and models operate at different levels, ranging from farm and value chains, to entire regisions, such as Europe as a whole.
But how realistic are these scenarios? For instance, do they account for uncertainties, such as the impact of extreme weather events? What technologies are assumed to be adopted, and how realistic are these assumptions? Are farmers capable of adopting these technologies? Do the scenarios and models align with existing policies? And what alternative future scenarios might exist?
These are the central questions of this PhD project. Rather than developing a new model, the project critically evaluates key scenarios and models that already exist. It aims to assess their assumptions, limitations, and applicability to real-world contexts.
The project is embedded in a collaborative programme between the University of Copenhagen, the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development (Utrecht University), and Wageningen University and Research.
Description and objectives of the PhD project This PhD project aims to critically reflect on existing transformation scenarios and models from the perspectives of policy, uncertainty, technology and behaviour.
More specifically, the aim of the PhD project is to:Create an overview of transformation scenarios and models, including their underlying assumptions regarding policy, uncertainty, technology, and behaviour.
- The overview relates to scenarios and models at different levels, ranging from farm and value chains, to entire regions. The project focuses on the European context
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Propose strategies to enhance the integration of policies and technology adoption in scenarios and models for transforming food and land use systems
- These strategies will be co-created with stakeholders and researchers, ensuring they account for different geographical, cultural, and risk contexts. Their implications are demonstrated using a selected number of scenarios and models.
Design alternative futures for food and land use systems
- This objective expands the scope of potential futures by exploring the implications of radical policies and innovations that are not considered in conventional future-oriented analyses. These alternative futures are critically examined and refined through high-level policy workshops.
You will work here The research is embedded in the Business Economics group, where you will be supervised by
Prof. Miranda Meuwissen, professor in risk management and resilience in agri & food systems, and
Dr. Jaap Sok, associate professor specialized in the economic behaviour of farmers. Both have an explicit interest in food system transformations.