Projects

5-State-Evaluation: Effects of farm investment support

Investments in machinery and buildings are crucial for farmers to stay competitive. The state supports such investments through grants. We investigate the effectiveness of these support measures.

5-State-Evaluation: Effects of investment support for agri-food companies

The competitiveness of the agricultural sector depends very much on the processing and marketing of the produce. Therefore, processing and marketing has been supported intensively with public funds since decades. We investigate the effectiveness of this support measure.

agri benchmark Pig

Pork is the most popular meat in the world. The network agri benchmark Pig analyses the profitability of pig production and determines the competitiveness at production system and farm level

Agricultural long-term policies for climate mitigation (AGRILOP)

Agriculture is considered as an essential part of climate change mitigation. The recent Green Deal and the Farm-to-Fork Strategy of the European Union additionally highlight the importance of market-based instruments to alleviate climate change. A quantitative assessment of different instruments is crucial for successful climate policies.

Agricultural policy instruments to support farm level risk management

Both climate change and increasing liberalisation of EU agricultural policy involve the danger of increasing volatility and economic risk at the farm level.

Agricultural products: marketable by promoting investments?

The competitiveness and added value of the entire agricultural sector is determinded by the processing and marketing of agricultural products. Therefore, processing and marketing is supported intensively for decades with public funds. Within the project, we are pursuring the (sectoral) effects on competitiveness, added value and employment wich can be attributed to the support scheme.

Agriculture: farm diversity and change

Farm structures are constantly changing – they must, if they respond to competition. However, how well do we know the current farm structures? Available statistics only provide limited information. Therefore, in this project we intend to initially identify the exact knowledge gaps and later develop approaches to close them.

AGROECOLOGY

Agroecology is considered as an important approach to develop the transition to sustainable agriculture and food systems. Agroecology is based on natural, biological interactions and integrates cutting-edge science, technology and innovation, incorporating the knowledge of stakeholders in the agricultural and food systems. In January 2024, the new European partnership “European partnership on accelerating farming systems transition – agroecology living labs and research infrastructures – AGROECOLOGY” was launched to promote a transition to more sustainability, resilience, environmental and ...

All cattle for Jakarta?

The Indonesian beef supply chain is very dynamic and characterised by huge structural differences in production, live cattle trade, processing and retail.

ALL-Ready - The European Agroecology Living Lab and Research Infrastructure Network: Preparation phase

Paving the way for agroecology in Europe

Analysis of Production Costs on Dairy Farms within the EDF (European Dairy Farmers) Network

Due to the liberalisation of agricultural markets German dairy farmers face increasing competition regarding market shares on the world milk market. What are their chances?

Analysis of the economic situation of organic farming

The organic area shall further grow in view the German government. This requires that the organic management is profitable. Book-keeping records of the Farm Accountancy Network provide relevant information, if this was the case in the last years.

Are new technologies for cauliflower and broccoli production going to prevail?

In research, future-oriented, technological approaches are being pursued to increase the security of horticultural production systems and products. We ask whether such technologies will actually be implemented into the horticultural production systems.

Broiler production systems

Calculating the profits per bird and for the enterprise on the whole, as well as the labour income in free range and organic production systems compared with conventional broiler production

Can sustainable production of beef, palm oil and soy bean be profitable?

The production of beef, palmoil and soybean competes on land which has been covered by rainforest and other natural vegetation.

CatchHedge - Carbon sequestration of hedgerows and field copses

Hedgerows contribute to mitigating climate change - new plantings of hedgerows on arable land have great potential to contribute to climate protection. Hedgerows store nearly as much carbon per hectare as forests.

Common Agricultural Policy from the rural point of view: the CAPRI-RD model

Policy measures to promote rural areas like village renewal or promotion of young farmers do not only impact agricultural holdings but also other economic sectors, e.g. tourism, food processing or education. For responsible handling of tax payers’ money, it is important to know if the policy measure is adequately targeted. It is especially challenging to consider the interactions between the different economic sectors, merely because of the great number of different funding programs. The aim of this project is to solve this task and to quantify the impacts of promoting the rural areas.

Company succession and business start-ups in agriculture

The number of agricultural enterprises in Germany has been declining for many years. The role played by unsecured farm succession in structural change, also known as "farm death", and the relevance attributed to non-family farm transfers and business start-ups is being investigated in this project.

Construction of stables: trade-offs between animal welfare and emissions

To achieve improvements in animal welfare, livestock housing often has to be modified. The necessary investments are supported by the Rural Development Programme, but environmental protection requirements often hinder their realisation. 

Conversion and transmission of national farm returns and analyses with regard to FADN

The Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) is a harmonised data base throughout the EU that consists of accounting data from a representative sample of agricultural holdings. Based on this income, structural and production developments can be analysed. The EU Commission uses the FADN extensively to evaluate the impacts of the CAP and to design new policy measures.

Copernicus lights green

Land consumption and intensification of use exert high pressure on grassland areas. Recording and assessing the condition and distribution of protected grassland and grassland worthy of protection requires a great deal of effort. In the future, satellite data should support official monitoring with area-wide services.

Cost of pig production

Calculation of comparable values on the basis of a method unique for all countries. The data are updated each year.

Cost structures in beef production

Is there an opportunity to estimate national cost share structures in beef finishing? Production costs for beef finishing are determined by several components. Their influence can vary a lot between the different countries. However it is difficult to find consistent data between different countries to be able to compare the costs for beef finishing. Nevertheless these data are the basis for example Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) market models.

Costs and benefits of improved nutrient management strategies in organic vegetable production

Sustainable nutrient management is a challenge also in organic agriculture. Scarcity of resources and increasingly restrictive legislation concerning the use of nutrients in agriculture are challenges for both conventional and organic vegetable production.

Costs of mitigating greenhouse gas emssiones in in crop and beef production

Crop and cattle production contribute to the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. What are the economic impacts of GHG-mitigation in agricultural farms?

Crop yield and optimized N fertilization in a changing climate

Reducing nitrogen (N) surpluses offers substantial reduction potential for greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture. How does climate change influence the potential for increasing N efficiency?

Digital organic control - Does it work?

Organic products are strictly controlled. That is why cases of fraud become public again and again. Nevertheless, there are weak points. Are digital processes a soluation?

Distributional effects of CAP liberalisation

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU has a significant influence on farm incomes. But does the CAP reduce income gaps in the agricultural sector? What (unintended) distributional effects would further liberalisation of the European agricultural sector entail?

Earth observation and artificial intelligence for monitoring of organic farming

By 2030, the share of organic farming in Germany aims to be expanded to 30% of agricultural land. Satellite data can help to show cultivated areas and differences in management practices between organic and conventional farming.

Ecological and Socioeconomic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems

The transformation of tropical rainforest to rubber and oil palm plantations has extensive impact on nature and living conditions. Remote sensing helps us to understand the spatial-temporal patterns and drivers of those processes.

Economic analysis of interventions to enhance food safety of animal products along the food chain

Infectious diseases that are transmissible between animals and humans, so-called zoonoses, have gained in importance worldwide in recent years. The reasons cited for this include increasing mobility and growing global trade. In addition to damage to health, zoonoses can also have a significant economic impact.

Economic assessment of food safety with regard to zoonoses

What are the economic consequences of food crises and which costs are caused by measures to increase food safety?

Economic assessment of nitrogene fertilization strategies in open field vegetable production

Economic assessment of nitrogene fertilization strategies in open field vegetable production

Economic evaluation of husbandry systems with different animal welfare levels

Germany wants to be a pioneer in animal welfare and has stricter requirements for this than most other countries in the world. An important milestone was the abolition of cage systems for laying hens. But is everything all right now? All the farming systems currently in use have their weaknesses and there is still no way in sight to overcome them.

Economics of arable crop production

Policy makers very often are faced with the challenge to access the implications of changes in the political, legal or technological framework conditions on arable production. This may for example referr to the ban of individual crop protection products. This project is providing ready-to-use answers to such questions - both on the national as well as on the international level.

Economics of beef and lamb production as well as grassland use

Beef and sheep production in Germany: business or side products?

Environmental and animal protection - too expensive for producers?

To which extent are EU and non-EU producers affected by legal regulations and how does this impact on their competitiveness?

Establishment of various income source in agriculture: What can be achieved via subsidies?

Impact analysis of public support of income diversification in agricultural holdings in the framework of monitoring and ongoing evaluation of six state programmes for rural development during the years 2007-2013

Evaluation of the EU Organic Regulation

The EU regulation on organic farming defines the legal framework of organic farming in Europe and aims to contribute to a sustainable development of the sector. How effective and relevant are the current rules and where is a need for a change?

Explaining and predicting farm structural change

The EU commission annually develops a projection of the future development in agriculture to detect trends as early as possible. Until now, the structure of farms played only a minor role. A greater consideration of the structure of farms would increase the quality of the projections, particularly after the reorientation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2013. The impact of the “Greening” of the first Pillar is closely related to the productive orientation of a farm – e.g., whether a farm produces as grassland farm rather milk or as arable farm cereals. Main objective of this project ...

Explaining, predicting and linking European farm structural change with the European farm supply model IFM-CAP

F.R.A.N.Z. - Future Resources, Agriculture & Nature Conservation

The joint project F.R.A.N.Z. develops and tests practically and economically sustainable measures for more biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. The accompanying research addresses ecological and socio-economic questions.

F.R.A.N.Z. - Future-oriented resource use, agronomy and nature conservation

F.R.A.N.Z. has set itself the target to develop and test measures to preserve and increase biodiversity in agricultural landscape.

Facilitating insects in agricultural landscapes through renewable resources

Intensive agriculture is considered as a major cause of the decline of insect diversity and biomass in Germany. Within the frame of the national action programme for the conservation of insects, FInAL will therefore establish Landscape Laboratories in representative agricultural landscapes of Germany where we will develop, demonstrate and evaluate innovative measures for facilitating insects through integrated cultivation of renewable resources in a landscape context.

Further development of eco-schemes (ÖR+)

Eco-schemes are a key element of the new green architecture of the Common Agricultural Policy to promote more sustainable land management. We develop scientifically grounded decision support tools for their further development.

Further development of the Thünen model network - Farm models

EU agricultural policies as well as international trade policies have changed considerably during the last decades. This has led to an increased demand from policy makers and scientists for model-based quantitative assessments of the consequences of respective policy reforms.

Future of sheep farming in Germany

Sheep farmers make an important contribution to the preservation and maintenance of landscapes and at the same time produce valuable food and wool. But what is the current state of sheep farming? What types of sheep farms are there in Germany? What are the perspectives and challenges? These questions will be addressed in the project.

GHG mitigation in cattle farming - how much is possible where?

Cattle farming for meat production is an important global cause of greenhouse gases in agriculture. However, sources, reduction potential and associated costs vary considerably. We compare across countries.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Strategies in Germany: Analyses at Farm Level

What contribution can agriculture make to climate protection and what are the costs for the farms when implementing an adaptation strategy? With a model-based analysis conducted with the farm group model FARMIS, we analyse and evaluate the effects of possible greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies.

Greenhouse gas mitigation on dairy farms - where to start - and how expensive will it be?

Identification and evaluation of suitable GHG mitigation measures for German dairy production. Which measures can sustainably reduce GHG emissions on dairy farms in Germany? How high is their abatement potential in different farm types and what costs are associated with their implementation? What are the barriers to implementation in practice? Answers to these questions should help to reduce greenhouse gases from milk production in a cost-efficient way.

Greenhouse gas mitigation strategies in arable farming -An international comparison

On a global scale, agriculture is estimated to contribute 18 % of human-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Arable cropping systems account for over one-third of the sector’s GHG emissions, with the largest share originating from the application of nitrogen-based fertilizers. Given this large share, the sector should play an active role in the global challenge of climate protection, which will require an enormous effort to limit global warming to 2°C. In this context, effective climate protection research is essential to identify the most efficient ways to mitigate GHG emissions. Therefore, ...

HortiCo 4.0

Digitalisation will have a major impact on horticultural production systems and horticultural value chains and will change the sector. Therefore, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has established the horticulture 4.0 funding priority in order to advance the development of digital solutions for the sector.

HortInnova: Reserach Strategy Horticulture

Automation, scarcity of resources and increasing international competition do not stop in front of Horticulture. What are the problems and challenges resulting from these developments to horticultural production? Which solutions can be contributed by research? For the period until 2030 these issues will be discussed and elaborated in a series of workshops with stakeholders from horticultural value chains.

HotSpots Erosion

Soil erosion by water is the major threat to agricultural soils in Europe and in the long term threatens yields and food security. The risk of soil erosion varies widely within Germany and depends not only on natural factors but also on the farming practices. For better soil protection, we want to identify erosion Hot Spots in Germany by predicting the soil erosion risk using models.

Housing and husbandry systems of the future

None of today's widespread systems in use are convincing in all parameters. There are major differences between the systems in terms of animal welfare, re-source efficiency, production costs and profitability. Digitalisation can help to improve existing processes or to develop completely new systems. The project "Stable and housing systems of the future" is an in-house project for the development of innovative, automated and sustainable stable systems in livestock farming.

How can dairy farms develop in future?

Dairy farming is the branch of agriculture with the highest turnover in Germany and has been undergoing change for years. The Northwest German coastal region contributes a large share of national milk production. The project aims to provide information on how dairy farms in this region can develop in the future. Applying a mix of socio-economic methods, different development paths will be analysed in order to show farmers, politicians and other stakeholders different possibilities for future farm development.

How can the proposals of the Livestock Competence Network be transferred into practical farming?

The Livestock Competence Network (KNW), headed by former Federal Minister of Agriculture Jochen Borchert, has presented comprehensive proposals for the conversion of livestock production in Germany to animal welfare-friendly production methods.

How is beef produced

International comparative analysis of beef production within the agri benchmark Beef and Sheep Network

How is the German horticultural sector doing?

How profitable is German horticultural production, what are its production structures, its value chains, its market outlets and who provides advisory services? We want to thoroughly decribe and analyse the current situation.

HumusKlimaNetz

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, which is why agriculture also has a responsibility to become more climate-friendly. One option is to keep soil organic carbon stocks in the soil and increase them if possible. We are investigating the climate impact and economic efficiency of SOC measures on 150 conventional and ecological farms. The HumusKlimaNetz is set up by the German Farmers' Association (DBV) and the Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BÖLW).

Impact analysis of EU and national agricultural policies

The next reform is just around the corner - that much is clear to anybody following agricultural policy in Germany and the EU. While some may groan in exasperation, these continuous adjustments reflect the extremely dynamic change of framework conditions and societal expectations that the agricultural sector is faced with.

Impact assessment with the CAPRI model of a plant-based dietary change

Greenhouse Gas Reduction through Innovative Breeding Advances in Alternative Plant Protein Sources

Impact of meat and dairy exports on developing countries

German exports of livestock products to Africa are frequently criticized. We analyze how these exports actually affect domestic poultry and milk production using Ghana and Senegal as examples.

InnoChick - Innovative housing systems for the free-range management of laying hens

InnoChick is an in-house project to develop an innovative, automated and sustainable housing system for free-range laying hens.

InnoRind

Wie sieht die zukunftsfähige Rinderhaltung in Deutschland unter Berücksichtigung von Tierwohl, Umweltwirkungen und gesellschaftlicher Akzeptanz aus? Welche Änderungen lassen sich in der Aufzucht von Kälbern und auch in der Haltung von Mast- und Milchrindern umsetzen? Antworten auf diese Fragen sollen neun Beispielbetriebe im Rahmen des Projektes InnoRind liefern. 

Integrated actions for sustainable ecosystems services in the Baltic Sea Region

Integration of social learning processes in the identification of governance configurations for innovative measures that offer multiple ecosystem service benefits in the Baltic Sea Region.

International competitiveness and efficiency in apple production

Apples are among the most popular fruits in Europe. Nevertheless, European apple producers face major challenges. On the one hand, the sector is subject to high competitive pressure due to a large supply on the world market, and on the other hand, apple producers are exposed to very different production conditions. Therefore we address the question of how competitive the most important European apple-growing countries are and how apple growing in Europe will develop in the future.

International competitiveness and further development of production systems in arable farming

Globally, arable production systems in developed countries face new, substantial production related and thus economic challenges. They are a consequence of changing legal, agronomic, and climate conditions as well as the lack of established adoption strategies. This requires the design and evaluation of agronomically and economically feasible new production systems.

International competitiveness of organic arable farming in Germany

The demand for organically produced cereals, as well as organically produced oilseeds and legumes, has increased steadily in Germany in the past years.

International competitiveness of pig production in the context of animal welfare aspects

Selected measures for more animal welfare and their economic consequences on animal performance, productivity and profitability of the sow and finishing enterprises in Germany are investigated. On the basis of this, it will be analysed to what extent these measures will change the international competitiveness of pig production.

LAMASUS - Modellierung von Landnutzung und -management für eine nachhaltige Steuerung

LAMASUS - LAnd use and MAnagement modelling for SUStainable governance

Laying hens in small group systems - is it profitable?

Economic efficiency of small group systems for laying hens in Germany

Liquidity management in dairy farms in Lower Saxony

Dairy farms and their management are increasingly experiencing fluctuating cash flows in their day-to-day operations. We are investigating which dairy farmers in Lower Saxony are applying liquidity management measures, what they are doing and why.

MIND STEP - Modelling INdividual Decisions to Support The European Policies related to agriculture

MIND STEP addresses the Work Programme Topic RUR-04-2018-2019, contributing to Rural Renaissance by further developing analytical tools and models to support policies related to agriculture and food. Agricultural policies like the EU CAP are widening the scope to contribute to the Paris climate agreement and the Sustainability Development Goals. From the Commission's legislative proposals (June 2018) it is expected that the European Union (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will be redesigned in line with this. Consequences are among others a move of the CAP to farm specific measures and ...

Model-based analysis of the structural change in agriculture

In the year 2013, the EU agricultural budget was 57 billion €. Most of the payments to farmers were subject to certain conditions to contribute to the protection of climate and environment. To maximise the efficiency of the policy, the impacts of certain policies should be estimated. Economic models are in fact an important contribution. The main objective of this project is to improve and extend our economic models to better estimate the positive and negative impacts on the environment, income of farmers and land use or farm structure.

Modelling farm structural change

The number of farms has declined by 50 % over the last 20 years. There is no end in sight to the rapid structural change.

Monitoring biological diversity in agricultural landscapes with remote sensing

A long-term monitoring of biological diversity at national level requires a representative data basis about the state and development of agricultural landscape. To achieve this, the project MonViFE develops spatially explicit indicators of landscape structure and land-use intensity.

Monitoring of climate-impacting measures in crop and grassland management with satellite data

With 66.4 million tons of CO2 equivalents, agriculture was responsible for 9 % of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany in 2020. Adaptations in farm management can reduce these emissions. Area-wide data on such adaptation measures will be derived from high-resolution satellite data.

Monitoring of farmland biodiversity in Germany

Far reaching changes in production systems and in farm management have led to a decline in farmland biodiversity. To counteract this decline, a national database is needed that allows conclusions to be drawn about cause-effect relationships.

Monitoring of organic support policies

Organic farming is supported with public funding in Europe. Which support measures exist and how much funding is available in Germany and in other EU Member States?

More beef import from the US to the EU soon?

The USA and Canada are major beef producers and exporters. Given the beef price differential to the EU, both countries have an interest to export beef to the EU.

National Animal Welfare Monitoring

The interdisciplinary project "National Animal Welfare Monitoring" aims to develop the basis for reporting on the status quo and the development of animal welfare in livestock farming.

Nationwide comparison of animal welfare measures (premia)

From the society's point of view, most current livestock husbandry and management methods are non-animal-friendly and should be adapted. However, the improvement of animal welfare often entails higher investment- and current costs. These can be compensated by higher product prices (animal welfare labels) or by support measures. Since only a subset of consumers (~ 30%) are willing to pay higher product prices for improved animal welfare, a label (as a unique measure) is not likely to bring about substantial change in a majority of farms. This possibility may exist by promoting ...

Nutri2Cycle - Nurturing the Circular Economy

On the way to 30 % organic farming

"30 percent organic farming by 2030" - that is the goal of the German government. But how far has Germany come so far? And what is needed to achieve the target?

On-going evaluation of five RDP in Germany from 2014 to 2020: Effects on animal welfare

In cooperation with the Thünen-Institute of Rural Studies, the Thünen-Institue of International Forestry and Forest Economics and entera, the Thünen-Institute of Farm Economics evaluates the Rural Development Programs (RDP) of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony / Bremen.

On-going evaluation of seven RDP in Germany from 2007 to 2013: Effects on animal welfare

In cooperation with the Thünen-Institute of Rural Studies, we evaluate the Rural Development Programs (RDP) of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony / Bremen and Hamburg.

Optimising crop production for climate protection

Der menschengemachte Klimawandel bedroht langfristig die Stabilität der Ökosysteme des Planeten, und damit auch die Stabilität der menschlichen Gesellschaft durch Verknappung von Wasser, Nahrung und Lebensraum.

OrganicTargets4EU - scenarios for boosting organic farming

The EU’s Farm-to-Fork Strategy set a target of 25% of EU agricultural land to be organic by 2030, or three times the area in 2019. Can this be achieved? If so how, and what are the consequences for farms and food businesses?

Pathways to reduce food waste (REFOWAS)

The production and consumption of food has an impact on the environment. In this context we question the importance of food waste. To analyse this, we quantify the agricultural and food sectors along the entire value creation chain. Food waste can often be avoided with relative ease. In different case studies we study the main points and reasons for the creation of waste and study different way to reduce them.

Photovoltaic systems on agricultural land

In order to implement the energy transition, more electricity from renewable energies is needed. Photovoltaic systems on agricultural areas are becoming more and more important in this respect. In order to produce food and electricity on the same area, we are investigating new photovoltaic concepts.

Pig husbandry of the future

How should pigs be kept in the future? We compare different housing systems in piglet production and pig fattening from different perspectives and aim at identifying housing systems for the future.

Possibilities for reducing the use of pesticides in arable farming

Common crop protection strategies in arable farming are increasingly losing their effect as resistance to grass, insects and fungi spreads in many intensive arable areas. This leads to rising costs and changes in production systems. At the same time, the benefits and dangers of plant protection are critically discussed in society. Alternatives to chemical crop protection such as mechanical weeding are already available but are usually associated with higher costs. Against this background, the project aims to find out how the use of pesticides can be reduced as efficiently as possible.

PPILOW

Organic and outdoor low-input pig and poultry farming systems have spread considerably in the EU during the last decade due to ethical and socio-economic considerations. Nevertheless, there are still several challenging questions unsolved concerning such systems, especially in relation to animal health and mortality problems. Consumers and practitioners of these production systems particularly disapprove of damage to animal integrity (i.e. beak trimming, piglet castration) and of the killing of one-day old male layer chicks. These practices question the ethics and the sustainability of these ...

Production costs sugar raw materials

The sugar market will be liberalized more and more. As a result of the EBA agreement, the least developed countries (LDC) had been able to export unlimited amounts of tax free sugar to the EU since 2009. Additionally, the EU aims a free trade agreement with the Mercosur States. If sugar will not be classified as a sensitive product, this could lead to additional sugar imports into the EU. As a result, the increasing sugar imports could substitute European beet sugar.

Public services of organic agriculture for the environment and society

Is organic farming good for the environment and animal welfare? This question is a constant source of controversy. Reason enough to take time for a detailed analysis and to investigate the current state of knowledge.

QM-Dairy Sustainability Tool

The QM-Dairy Sustainability Tool 2.0. is used to collect data on the sustainability of milk production throughout Germany. About 30 dairies are participating.

Reduction of peat use in Germany (MITODE)

Thünen-JKI joint project: Possibilities and effects of reducing the use of peat in horticulture in Germany. Sub-project economic evaluation on farm level.

Regional research workshops for arable farming

Crop farmers face major challenges: On the one hand, they are struggling with resistance problems, the loss of crop protection products and new fertilizer regulations; on the other hand with loss of species and loss of biodiversity in the agricultural landscape. This project investigates how farmers can deal constructively with these problems.

Remote sensing for improved climate reporting (KlimaFern)

Land use and agricultural measures are essential domains for achieving climate protection targets. Satellite data will be used to monitor agricultural land use over a wide area and to improve the data basis for reporting.

Remuneration for the environmental benefits of organic farming

Lower nitrogen burdens in water courses, reduced resource use, more biodiversity in farmed landscapes – organic farming delivers many benefits for society. But organic farms are not rewarded appropriately for their services. What needs to change?

Renewable resources - economically analyzed

Politics are supporting renewable resources for the provision of bioenergy or for the material use. However, the question arises whether this is the right way: consumers complain about increasing electricity prices, environmentalists about the ploughing of grassland and farmers about increasing land rents. Therefore, we analyze how the political support of renewable resources can be optimized.

Roadmap for the rewetting of organic soils in Germany

How can the agreed German climate mitigation goals concerning peatland protection be achieved? Which options for using organic soils are economically viable for landowners and farmers in the long term? These are just two examples of the questions that are being addressed by four Thünen Institutes in the interdisciplinary project RoVer.

SHERPA - Sustainable Hub to Engage into Rural Policies with Actors

Strengthening the science-society-policy dialogue for the formulation of rural policies and research agendas at European and regional levels.

Structural change and competitiveness of the German horticultural sector

The structures of horticultural production in Germany are changing. Fewer farms cultivate, on average, more acreage and partially with very specialized crops. The intensity is influenced by different framework conditions such as legal and economic constraints as well as potentials.

Support of weather insurances - is this the answer to extreme weather events?

Droughts, floods, hail and heavy rainfalls: extreme weather events can lead to severe damages in the agricultural sector. It is therefore important for farmers to protect themselves against weather damage that could endanger their livelihood.

Sustainable milk production in Lower Saxony

How sustainable is milk production in Lower Saxony, and what does the term "sustainable" actually mean? Which aspects need to be considered in order to make a statement about sustainability in milk production? And how could a first inventory be conducted so as to make first statements on sustainability aspects in milk production in Lower Saxony, considering a passable effort for all actors?

Targeted schemes for increasing agrobiodiversity

Terms of Trade Crop and Beef Production

Do prices follow costs?

The cluster horticulture in Germany

In national accounting statistics in Germany horticulture is limited to primary production and a few selected horticultural services. Contrary, all actors of the value chain are involved in producing horticultural products. For this reason official statistics do not reflect the economic performance of the horticultural sector completely.

The development of a harmonised set of minimum criteria for the assessment of sustainable action by agricultural enterprises in key business sectors.Focus on farms with milk production, arable farming and pig farming

For years, more and more emphasis has been placed on sustainability in the production, processing and marketing of food. Nevertheless, there is still no consensus on a scientifically based and generally recognised assessment standard. For this reason, the "MinKriSet" project aims to develop a minimum set of criteria for the assessment of sustainable behaviour by agricultural companies.

The living and working conditions of women on farms in Germany

Agriculture is just for men? Not at all! In order to shed light on the living and working situation of women on farms and to clarify their contribution to agriculture and rural areas, the Thuenen-Institute for Farm Economics and the University of Göttingen are jointly conducting a Germany-wide study with interviews and an online survey.

The Thünen agricultural atlas

The German agricultural statistics are an important source of information to assess environmental impacts and to estimate agricultural trends. Unfortunately, the access to this information is limited through data protection rules. This was the reason why the project Agraratlas was initialized, to generate a data set at community level on land use and live stocks, without restrictions but fulfilling all data security issues at the same time.

ToPGa - Entwicklung und Bewertung von torfreduzierten Produktionssystemen im Gartenbau

Die Sparten des Gartenbaus benötigen Lösungen, um den ökologisch notwendigen Umstieg auf torfreduzierte Substrate zu meistern. Im Fokus des ToPGa-Projektes steht das Ziel, die Wirkungen des Einsatzes torfreduzierter Substrate möglichst ganzheitlich zu untersuchen und zu bewerten.

TRUSTEE Task „Validation of the implementation logic of RD-measures and the Baseline in the CAPRI model“

To quantify the impact of policy measures for rural development, the development of the pan European model „Common Agricultural Policy Regionalised Impact - The Rural Development Dimension“ (CAPRI-RD) was the first important step. During the development process it became clear that measures to promote the rural area can only be modelled successfully, if national experts validate them continuously. In the TRUSTEE project, national experts come together to further continue this procedure.

Turkeys with untrimmed beaks - A practice-based project with media knowledge transfer

The aim of the practice-oriented project with media knowledge transfer is to test an overall package of animal welfare measures on farms with turkey hens in order to achieve optimal husbandry conditions. The misbehaviour of the animals should thus be reduced to a minimum, so that in the medium term the shortening of the upper beak will become redundant.

UNISECO - Understanding and Improving the Sustainability of Agro-ecological Farming Systems in the EU

Strengthen the sustainability of EU farming systems, through co-constructing improved and practice-validated strategies and incentives for the promotion of improved agro-ecological approaches.

Welfare friendly dairy farming – towards a result-oriented measurement and support

According to Eurobarometer surveys, most consumers desire adequate housing and living circumstances for farm animals. But which indicators are most suitable for the measurement of animal welfare and how can animal welfare policies be implemented in a result-oriented way? This research question is adressed by the Thünen-Insitut of Organic Farming and the Thünen-Institut of Farm Economics.

What are the impacts of the EU rural development programmes on the environment? New methods for environmental evaluation

How can the provision of public goods such as biodiversity be effectively supported through the Common Agricultural Policy? This is one of the core questions in political and scientific debates of the future Common Agricultural Policy in the EU. To be able to answer this question requires the establishment of robust causal linkages between support measures and the desired environmental impacts and consistent methodological frameworks to assess environmental impacts across different scales and levels.

All cattle for Jakarta?

The Indonesian beef supply chain is very dynamic and characterised by huge structural differences in production, live cattle trade, processing and retail.

ALL-Ready - The European Agroecology Living Lab and Research Infrastructure Network: Preparation phase

Paving the way for agroecology in Europe

Are new technologies for cauliflower and broccoli production going to prevail?

In research, future-oriented, technological approaches are being pursued to increase the security of horticultural production systems and products. We ask whether such technologies will actually be implemented into the horticultural production systems.

Autonomous agricultural machinery

Arable farming is losing more and more social acceptance. Problems are (a) increasing soil pressure because of heavy machines, (b) the use of plant protection as well as (c) environmental pollution resulting from nitrogen fertilization. At the same time, new developments in automation can help to reduce the mentioned problems in fully automated production systems. We analyze if autonomous agricultural machines enable more sustainable plant production systems.

Can sustainable production of beef, palm oil and soy bean be profitable?

The production of beef, palmoil and soybean competes on land which has been covered by rainforest and other natural vegetation.

Common Agricultural Policy from the rural point of view: the CAPRI-RD model

Policy measures to promote rural areas like village renewal or promotion of young farmers do not only impact agricultural holdings but also other economic sectors, e.g. tourism, food processing or education. For responsible handling of tax payers’ money, it is important to know if the policy measure is adequately targeted. It is especially challenging to consider the interactions between the different economic sectors, merely because of the great number of different funding programs. The aim of this project is to solve this task and to quantify the impacts of promoting the rural areas.

Cost structures in beef production

Is there an opportunity to estimate national cost share structures in beef finishing? Production costs for beef finishing are determined by several components. Their influence can vary a lot between the different countries. However it is difficult to find consistent data between different countries to be able to compare the costs for beef finishing. Nevertheless these data are the basis for example Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) market models.

Costs and benefits of improved nutrient management strategies in organic vegetable production

Sustainable nutrient management is a challenge also in organic agriculture. Scarcity of resources and increasingly restrictive legislation concerning the use of nutrients in agriculture are challenges for both conventional and organic vegetable production.

Costs of mitigating greenhouse gas emssiones in in crop and beef production

Crop and cattle production contribute to the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. What are the economic impacts of GHG-mitigation in agricultural farms?

Digital organic control - Does it work?

Organic products are strictly controlled. That is why cases of fraud become public again and again. Nevertheless, there are weak points. Are digital processes a soluation?

Distributional effects of CAP liberalisation

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU has a significant influence on farm incomes. But does the CAP reduce income gaps in the agricultural sector? What (unintended) distributional effects would further liberalisation of the European agricultural sector entail?

Ecological and Socioeconomic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems

The transformation of tropical rainforest to rubber and oil palm plantations has extensive impact on nature and living conditions. Remote sensing helps us to understand the spatial-temporal patterns and drivers of those processes.

Economic assessment of food safety with regard to zoonoses

What are the economic consequences of food crises and which costs are caused by measures to increase food safety?

Economic assessment of nitrogene fertilization strategies in open field vegetable production

Economic assessment of nitrogene fertilization strategies in open field vegetable production

Environmental and animal protection - too expensive for producers?

To which extent are EU and non-EU producers affected by legal regulations and how does this impact on their competitiveness?

Establishment of various income source in agriculture: What can be achieved via subsidies?

Impact analysis of public support of income diversification in agricultural holdings in the framework of monitoring and ongoing evaluation of six state programmes for rural development during the years 2007-2013

Evaluation of the EU Organic Regulation

The EU regulation on organic farming defines the legal framework of organic farming in Europe and aims to contribute to a sustainable development of the sector. How effective and relevant are the current rules and where is a need for a change?

Explaining and predicting farm structural change

The EU commission annually develops a projection of the future development in agriculture to detect trends as early as possible. Until now, the structure of farms played only a minor role. A greater consideration of the structure of farms would increase the quality of the projections, particularly after the reorientation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2013. The impact of the “Greening” of the first Pillar is closely related to the productive orientation of a farm – e.g., whether a farm produces as grassland farm rather milk or as arable farm cereals. Main objective of this project ...

Explaining, predicting and linking European farm structural change with the European farm supply model IFM-CAP

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Strategies in Germany: Analyses at Farm Level

What contribution can agriculture make to climate protection and what are the costs for the farms when implementing an adaptation strategy? With a model-based analysis conducted with the farm group model FARMIS, we analyse and evaluate the effects of possible greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies.

Greenhouse gas mitigation strategies in arable farming -An international comparison

On a global scale, agriculture is estimated to contribute 18 % of human-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Arable cropping systems account for over one-third of the sector’s GHG emissions, with the largest share originating from the application of nitrogen-based fertilizers. Given this large share, the sector should play an active role in the global challenge of climate protection, which will require an enormous effort to limit global warming to 2°C. In this context, effective climate protection research is essential to identify the most efficient ways to mitigate GHG emissions. Therefore, ...

HortiCo 4.0

Digitalisation will have a major impact on horticultural production systems and horticultural value chains and will change the sector. Therefore, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has established the horticulture 4.0 funding priority in order to advance the development of digital solutions for the sector.

HortInnova: Reserach Strategy Horticulture

Automation, scarcity of resources and increasing international competition do not stop in front of Horticulture. What are the problems and challenges resulting from these developments to horticultural production? Which solutions can be contributed by research? For the period until 2030 these issues will be discussed and elaborated in a series of workshops with stakeholders from horticultural value chains.

How can dairy farms develop in future?

Dairy farming is the branch of agriculture with the highest turnover in Germany and has been undergoing change for years. The Northwest German coastal region contributes a large share of national milk production. The project aims to provide information on how dairy farms in this region can develop in the future. Applying a mix of socio-economic methods, different development paths will be analysed in order to show farmers, politicians and other stakeholders different possibilities for future farm development.

How can the proposals of the Livestock Competence Network be transferred into practical farming?

The Livestock Competence Network (KNW), headed by former Federal Minister of Agriculture Jochen Borchert, has presented comprehensive proposals for the conversion of livestock production in Germany to animal welfare-friendly production methods.

How is the German horticultural sector doing?

How profitable is German horticultural production, what are its production structures, its value chains, its market outlets and who provides advisory services? We want to thoroughly decribe and analyse the current situation.

Impact of meat and dairy exports on developing countries

German exports of livestock products to Africa are frequently criticized. We analyze how these exports actually affect domestic poultry and milk production using Ghana and Senegal as examples.

Integrated actions for sustainable ecosystems services in the Baltic Sea Region

Integration of social learning processes in the identification of governance configurations for innovative measures that offer multiple ecosystem service benefits in the Baltic Sea Region.

International competitiveness and efficiency in apple production

Apples are among the most popular fruits in Europe. Nevertheless, European apple producers face major challenges. On the one hand, the sector is subject to high competitive pressure due to a large supply on the world market, and on the other hand, apple producers are exposed to very different production conditions. Therefore we address the question of how competitive the most important European apple-growing countries are and how apple growing in Europe will develop in the future.

International competitiveness of organic arable farming in Germany

The demand for organically produced cereals, as well as organically produced oilseeds and legumes, has increased steadily in Germany in the past years.

International competitiveness of pig production in the context of animal welfare aspects

Selected measures for more animal welfare and their economic consequences on animal performance, productivity and profitability of the sow and finishing enterprises in Germany are investigated. On the basis of this, it will be analysed to what extent these measures will change the international competitiveness of pig production.

Laying hens in small group systems - is it profitable?

Economic efficiency of small group systems for laying hens in Germany

Liquidity management in dairy farms in Lower Saxony

Dairy farms and their management are increasingly experiencing fluctuating cash flows in their day-to-day operations. We are investigating which dairy farmers in Lower Saxony are applying liquidity management measures, what they are doing and why.

MIND STEP - Modelling INdividual Decisions to Support The European Policies related to agriculture

MIND STEP addresses the Work Programme Topic RUR-04-2018-2019, contributing to Rural Renaissance by further developing analytical tools and models to support policies related to agriculture and food. Agricultural policies like the EU CAP are widening the scope to contribute to the Paris climate agreement and the Sustainability Development Goals. From the Commission's legislative proposals (June 2018) it is expected that the European Union (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will be redesigned in line with this. Consequences are among others a move of the CAP to farm specific measures and ...

Model-based analysis of the structural change in agriculture

In the year 2013, the EU agricultural budget was 57 billion €. Most of the payments to farmers were subject to certain conditions to contribute to the protection of climate and environment. To maximise the efficiency of the policy, the impacts of certain policies should be estimated. Economic models are in fact an important contribution. The main objective of this project is to improve and extend our economic models to better estimate the positive and negative impacts on the environment, income of farmers and land use or farm structure.

Modelling farm structural change

The number of farms has declined by 50 % over the last 20 years. There is no end in sight to the rapid structural change.

Modelling of the Common Agricultural Policies post 2027

Agricultural policies are changing and, consequently, the tools to analyse these policies need to be adapted. Therefore, this research projects aims to adjust the European Commission’s IMAP (Integrated modelling platform for agro-economic and resource policy analysis) models, i.e., CAPRI, MAGNET, AGMEMOD, as well as GLOBIOM for future policy impact assessments with a focus on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2027 and their economic, social (including health), environmental and climate sustainability impacts.

Monitoring of climate-impacting measures in crop and grassland management with satellite data

With 66.4 million tons of CO2 equivalents, agriculture was responsible for 9 % of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany in 2020. Adaptations in farm management can reduce these emissions. Area-wide data on such adaptation measures will be derived from high-resolution satellite data.

More beef import from the US to the EU soon?

The USA and Canada are major beef producers and exporters. Given the beef price differential to the EU, both countries have an interest to export beef to the EU.

National Animal Welfare Monitoring

The interdisciplinary project "National Animal Welfare Monitoring" aims to develop the basis for reporting on the status quo and the development of animal welfare in livestock farming.

Nationwide comparison of animal welfare measures (premia)

From the society's point of view, most current livestock husbandry and management methods are non-animal-friendly and should be adapted. However, the improvement of animal welfare often entails higher investment- and current costs. These can be compensated by higher product prices (animal welfare labels) or by support measures. Since only a subset of consumers (~ 30%) are willing to pay higher product prices for improved animal welfare, a label (as a unique measure) is not likely to bring about substantial change in a majority of farms. This possibility may exist by promoting ...

Networking and Transfer Project for Digitalization in Agriculture

The large number of research activities in the field of digitalization in agriculture initiated by the Federal Government within the last few years are evaluated in this project, involved researcher are networked with each other and the results are prepared, evaluated and published.

Nutri2Cycle - Nurturing the Circular Economy

On the way to 30 % organic farming

"30 percent organic farming by 2030" - that is the goal of the German government. But how far has Germany come so far? And what is needed to achieve the target?

On-going evaluation of seven RDP in Germany from 2007 to 2013: Effects on animal welfare

In cooperation with the Thünen-Institute of Rural Studies, we evaluate the Rural Development Programs (RDP) of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony / Bremen and Hamburg.

Pathways to reduce food waste (REFOWAS)

The production and consumption of food has an impact on the environment. In this context we question the importance of food waste. To analyse this, we quantify the agricultural and food sectors along the entire value creation chain. Food waste can often be avoided with relative ease. In different case studies we study the main points and reasons for the creation of waste and study different way to reduce them.

Possibilities for reducing the use of pesticides in arable farming

Common crop protection strategies in arable farming are increasingly losing their effect as resistance to grass, insects and fungi spreads in many intensive arable areas. This leads to rising costs and changes in production systems. At the same time, the benefits and dangers of plant protection are critically discussed in society. Alternatives to chemical crop protection such as mechanical weeding are already available but are usually associated with higher costs. Against this background, the project aims to find out how the use of pesticides can be reduced as efficiently as possible.

PPILOW

Organic and outdoor low-input pig and poultry farming systems have spread considerably in the EU during the last decade due to ethical and socio-economic considerations. Nevertheless, there are still several challenging questions unsolved concerning such systems, especially in relation to animal health and mortality problems. Consumers and practitioners of these production systems particularly disapprove of damage to animal integrity (i.e. beak trimming, piglet castration) and of the killing of one-day old male layer chicks. These practices question the ethics and the sustainability of these ...

Public services of organic agriculture for the environment and society

Is organic farming good for the environment and animal welfare? This question is a constant source of controversy. Reason enough to take time for a detailed analysis and to investigate the current state of knowledge.

Reduction of peat use in Germany (MITODE)

Thünen-JKI joint project: Possibilities and effects of reducing the use of peat in horticulture in Germany. Sub-project economic evaluation on farm level.

Regional research workshops for arable farming

Crop farmers face major challenges: On the one hand, they are struggling with resistance problems, the loss of crop protection products and new fertilizer regulations; on the other hand with loss of species and loss of biodiversity in the agricultural landscape. This project investigates how farmers can deal constructively with these problems.

Remuneration for the environmental benefits of organic farming

Lower nitrogen burdens in water courses, reduced resource use, more biodiversity in farmed landscapes – organic farming delivers many benefits for society. But organic farms are not rewarded appropriately for their services. What needs to change?

SHERPA - Sustainable Hub to Engage into Rural Policies with Actors

Strengthening the science-society-policy dialogue for the formulation of rural policies and research agendas at European and regional levels.

Support of weather insurances - is this the answer to extreme weather events?

Droughts, floods, hail and heavy rainfalls: extreme weather events can lead to severe damages in the agricultural sector. It is therefore important for farmers to protect themselves against weather damage that could endanger their livelihood.

Sustainable milk production in Lower Saxony

How sustainable is milk production in Lower Saxony, and what does the term "sustainable" actually mean? Which aspects need to be considered in order to make a statement about sustainability in milk production? And how could a first inventory be conducted so as to make first statements on sustainability aspects in milk production in Lower Saxony, considering a passable effort for all actors?

Targeted schemes for increasing agrobiodiversity

Terms of Trade Crop and Beef Production

Do prices follow costs?

The cluster horticulture in Germany

In national accounting statistics in Germany horticulture is limited to primary production and a few selected horticultural services. Contrary, all actors of the value chain are involved in producing horticultural products. For this reason official statistics do not reflect the economic performance of the horticultural sector completely.

The living and working conditions of women on farms in Germany

Agriculture is just for men? Not at all! In order to shed light on the living and working situation of women on farms and to clarify their contribution to agriculture and rural areas, the Thuenen-Institute for Farm Economics and the University of Göttingen are jointly conducting a Germany-wide study with interviews and an online survey.

ToPGa - Entwicklung und Bewertung von torfreduzierten Produktionssystemen im Gartenbau

Die Sparten des Gartenbaus benötigen Lösungen, um den ökologisch notwendigen Umstieg auf torfreduzierte Substrate zu meistern. Im Fokus des ToPGa-Projektes steht das Ziel, die Wirkungen des Einsatzes torfreduzierter Substrate möglichst ganzheitlich zu untersuchen und zu bewerten.

TRUSTEE Task „Validation of the implementation logic of RD-measures and the Baseline in the CAPRI model“

To quantify the impact of policy measures for rural development, the development of the pan European model „Common Agricultural Policy Regionalised Impact - The Rural Development Dimension“ (CAPRI-RD) was the first important step. During the development process it became clear that measures to promote the rural area can only be modelled successfully, if national experts validate them continuously. In the TRUSTEE project, national experts come together to further continue this procedure.

Turkeys with untrimmed beaks - A practice-based project with media knowledge transfer

The aim of the practice-oriented project with media knowledge transfer is to test an overall package of animal welfare measures on farms with turkey hens in order to achieve optimal husbandry conditions. The misbehaviour of the animals should thus be reduced to a minimum, so that in the medium term the shortening of the upper beak will become redundant.

UNISECO - Understanding and Improving the Sustainability of Agro-ecological Farming Systems in the EU

Strengthen the sustainability of EU farming systems, through co-constructing improved and practice-validated strategies and incentives for the promotion of improved agro-ecological approaches.

Welfare friendly dairy farming – towards a result-oriented measurement and support

According to Eurobarometer surveys, most consumers desire adequate housing and living circumstances for farm animals. But which indicators are most suitable for the measurement of animal welfare and how can animal welfare policies be implemented in a result-oriented way? This research question is adressed by the Thünen-Insitut of Organic Farming and the Thünen-Institut of Farm Economics.

What are the impacts of the EU rural development programmes on the environment? New methods for environmental evaluation

How can the provision of public goods such as biodiversity be effectively supported through the Common Agricultural Policy? This is one of the core questions in political and scientific debates of the future Common Agricultural Policy in the EU. To be able to answer this question requires the establishment of robust causal linkages between support measures and the desired environmental impacts and consistent methodological frameworks to assess environmental impacts across different scales and levels.