GRK 2654:  Sustainable Food Systems

• Subject Area: Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine
• Term: since 2021
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 432617398

Global food security remains an ongoing challenge, and it has become clear that a focus on increasing food availability and access is not enough. A range of emerging challenges shape the global food security landscape, including the growing environmental footprint of agriculture; rapidly changing food environments and lifestyles; various forms of malnutrition with serious health consequences; and shifting public attitudes towards food. Recent global crises – climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and health threats – have intensified these challenges, highlighting the close interrelations between agriculture, environment, nutrition, and society. Narrow agricultural production or supply chain approaches are no longer sufficient to understand these complex issues. Instead, analyzing these interactions requires a comprehensive food systems perspective, which forms the foundation of this RTG. The RTG’s main objective is to advance the research on the manifold interactions between agriculture, food consumption, nutrition, health, the environment, and societal attitudes with a particular focus on policy options for increased sustainability. The research program is structured into three research areas that analyze interactions between food systems and different sustainability dimensions. Across the three research areas, which are closely interrelated, we analyze economic drivers and constraints of food system changes, examine synergies and trade-offs between different sustainability dimensions, and engage in science-policy dialogue to generate insights for evidence-based policymaking. The qualification program of the RTG aims to train new generations of economists and social science researchers who look at food and agriculture through an integrated food systems lens. The RTG is carried out in cooperation with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, DC, and University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium. The research is based on primary and secondary data from various countries, both in the Global South and North. This data is analyzed using methods from economics and the social sciences while integrating interdisciplinary approaches through cooperation with colleagues from relevant natural sciences. Several natural scientists from the University of Göttingen, IFPRI, and KU Leuven contribute to the research and teaching program of the RTG, including co-supervision of doctoral researchers. In addition, the PIs use their extensive networks to identify suitable collaborators for doctoral researchers. The training program provides opportunities for international experience through research stays abroad, international conferences, the visiting researcher program, and joint seminars with IFPRI and KU Leuven. Cooperation is further fostered through working groups on critical food systems issues, joint course work and seminars, and annual retreats.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Participating Institution: International Food Policy Research Institute; Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Meike Wollni
• Participating Researchers: Professorin Dr. Yasemin Boztug; Professor Dr. Bernhard Brümmer; Professorin Dr. Liesbeth Colen; Professor Dr. Stephan von Cramon-Taubadel; Professor Dela-Dem Fiankor, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Silke Hüttel; Professorin Dr. Krisztina Kis-Katos; Professorin Dr. Doris Läpple; Professor Dr. Oliver Mußhoff; Professor Dr. Tobias Plieninger; Professor Dr. Achim Spiller; Professor Dr. Sebastian Vollmer, Ph.D.; Professor Xiaohua Yu, Ph.D.