Research of the Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy Group
The Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy Group performs research, and teaches across a wide range of aspects related to the contribution of the bio-economy and the agricultural sector in particular to sustainable development.
Objective & focus
The objective of AEP is to create impact in science and in society by disseminating research results to other researchers, policy makers, students and societal actors.
Our group is focusing on developed countries, and the EU more specifically. However, the transformation of agriculture from being mainly a food producer to a producer of both food and green services in the western world is increasingly observed as a worldwide phenomenon. For this reason, the research of the AEP group is also directed towards economies in transition (e.g. Eastern Europe and China) and developing countries.
For more details, please refer to the research profile of the AEP group on Research@wur.
Our research themes
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1. Markets and Policies
This theme focuses on improving the understanding of the economic determinants, dynamics as well as socio-economic effects of national, EU and global markets in which agricultural and food commodities are produced, traded, processed and consumed. Among the most important topics the group’s research is contributing to are the understanding of price developments and of market shocks affecting trade and market dynamics. The research belonging to this theme, moreover, assesses the economic impacts and implications of agricultural policies of the Netherlands, the EU and selected further countries. Third, the research of this theme advances the scientific and societal understanding of new economic opportunities resulting from the bioeconomy and the associated governance regulations. This includes safety regulations for novel products, biofuel policies as well as their market effects in both developed and developing countries.
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2. Spatial Structures
This theme includes research addressing intersections between agriculture, environment and space. It analyses land use patterns or the provision of environmental services as well as models the effects of governmental policy choices for rural areas and landscapes. Within this theme, our research assesses new developments and opportunities which result from the bioeconomy and relate to land use and the multifunctionality of rural areas given that competition for land and natural resources is continuously increasing due to a growing global population and diverse land use interests for infrastructure and energy vs. food production resulting from that.
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3. Institutional and Organisational Aspects
This theme includes research on organizational aspects of economic phenomena, transactions and processes which, for example, relate to agri-food value chains, contract farming or agri-environmental schemes. The growing importance of vertical and horizontal coordination and the use of contracts in national, EU and global agri-food value chain aspects of the bioeconomy imply ample needs and opportunities for research within this theme to enrich and extend the scientific discourse and improve the understanding of society.
