Leverage points for sustainable and resilient agri-food value chains in times of multiple crises

• Applicant: Dr. Thi Thu Giang Luu
• Subject Area: Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Policy, Agricultural Sociology ; Human Geography
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 584144873

This project advances the conceptual, methodological and empirical understanding of leverage points for sustainability and resilience in agri-food value chains under multiple crises. Agri-food value chains are increasingly strained by crises such as climate change, geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions and disease outbreaks. This requires approaches considering both sustainability and resilience as well as their synergies and trade-offs. The concept of leverage points — places in complex systems where a small shift may lead to systemic changes — offers a lens for identifying such points, explaining their impact and designing strategic actions. In agri-food value chains, these may include parameter adjustments (e.g., maintaining large safety stocks), feedback interventions (e.g., performance-based incentives), structural reconfigurations (e.g., territorializing agri-food supply), and paradigm shifts (e.g., moving toward circular-economy goals). Yet resilience and sustainability strategies can come into conflict; for example, maintaining large safety stocks enhances resilience to supply interruptions but increases resource use and storage emissions. Research on leverage points in agri-food value chains remains limited and often addresses sustainability and resilience separately. This is the vantage point of this project. Guided by the overarching research question —What conceptual and methodological implications, as well as empirical insights, does the leverage point approach offer in the context of sustainability and resilience of agri-food value chains in times of multiple crises? — this project adapts the iceberg model as a conceptual basis for systems understanding and identifying leverage points. These conceptual foundations will be interpreted in relation to sustainability, resilience, agri-food value chains, and crisis perspectives, and methodologically and empirically applied. The project will pursue its aim through three interlinked work packages: WP1: Advance the conceptualization of leverage points at the nexus of sustainability and resilience in agri-food value chains under multiple crises. WP2: Map methods and tools for identifying, acting on, and evaluating leverage points. WP3: Conduct an empirical case study of an agri-food value chain between Germany and Vietnam, and critically reflect on the conceptualization (WP1), selected methods and tools (WP2). My research background spans innovation in agri-food systems, climate resilience, and disaster risk management, with a focus on leverage points in complex systems. This project builds on these experiences and marks a key step toward positioning myself as a recognized postdoctoral researcher in system transformation in Germany.

• DFG Programme: Position