About Wageningen Social & Economic Research

Current food systems are neither sustainable nor equitable, exceeding planetary boundaries and excluding vulnerable groups from taking part in a sustainable and inclusive food system. Transforming these systems is crucial to ensure equitable access to healthy food, sustainable practices, and fair livelihoods.

At Wageningen Social & Economic Research, we work with partners around the globe to provide evidence-based insights, promoting transparency, inclusivity, and systemic change. Our goal is to create food systems that are fair, just, and within planetary boundaries.

Building on our in-depth and extensive knowledge of agriculture, sectors, and systems, we highlight the dependencies, options, choices, scenarios, and dilemmas on the pathways towards fair and sustainable agricultural and food systems.

Wageningen Social & Economic Research collaborates with diverse partners worldwide, including international agencies, governments, NGOs, research institutes, and agri food businesses in over 60 countries. With a proven track record, we specialise in policy analysis, impact evaluations, scenarios, market and chain research, consumer behaviour, and analysing how systems can be transformed, delivering insights to drive informed decision-making globally.

Institute managers

Our three institute managers lead Wageningen Social & Economic Research in the diferent domains of our institute.

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  Dr. Marieke Harteveld

  Institute manager Global Food Systems Transformation
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  prof.dr.ir. JCM (Hans) van Trijp

  Institute manager Sustainable & Innovative Value Chains
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  ir. O (Olaf) Hietbrink

  Institute manager Agricultural Policy & Data Management