ETH - AFEE - Research

The research activities of the Professorship are focused on selected domains of Agricultural Economics. The main fields are Agro-Ecosystems and Food-Systems.

The group concentrates on the interaction between socioeconomic driving forces in the food sector and the protection of natural resources under changing conditions such as climate change, increasing and changing consumer needs, globalization and growing scarcity of resources. They aim to explore paths to improve the economic efficiency of resource use for food production, value building for food demand, and societal needs regarding ecosystem services. The geographic areas of research are Switzerland (post industrialized regions with high opportunity costs), Eastern Europe (transformation economies), and regions in Africa and Asia (developing countries).

The group's research contributes to a better understanding of:

Climate change adaptation strategies by portfolio optimization and optimal insurance design.
Attitudes and decisions of farmers regarding risks, policy, and technological and climatic change.
Land use pattern, i.e. how many and which food and ecosystem services are provided under changing conditions (economic and climatic) in the alpine area.

Improved efficiency in the use of natural resources under different policy conditions
Potentials and mechanisms of product differentiation within the food system in developed and developing countries.
Poverty alleviation for farmers’ households in developing countries through development of agriculture and market integration.

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