Research of Business Economics
Our research addresses urgent issues such as sustainable food production, food safety, animal and plant health, and the effect of the changing business environment on farmers, retailers, food processors and suppliers.
Our wide network enables us to seek for solutions in a multidisciplinary team. Our research is commissioned and funded by the Dutch government, the EU, non-governmental organisations, food processors, wholesalers, feed companies, pharmaceutical companies as well as banks, insurance companies and agricultural accountants.
Our research is centred around three themes:
- Economic Performance and Risk
- Economics of healthy animals, plants and food
- Sustainable Food
Research themes
Economic performance and risk
This theme develops and applies novel parametric and nonparametric methods for assessing Efficiency and Productivity such as dynamic efficiency and eco-efficiency analysis. The theme also identifies relevant sources of risk; assesses its magnitude, and analyses the opportunities for risk management using methods such as stochastic modelling, benchmarking, scenario analysis and time-series analysis of price data. Analysis of performance includes production levels, product differentiation and distribution channel adoption.
Economics of healthy animals, plants and food
This theme analyses management of animal and plant Production Pests and Diseases, which are typically managed at the farm level, such as Mastitis, as well as contagious and invasive diseases, such as Foot and Mouth Disease, which are managed at regional, national and supra-national level. Also, the research analyses the economic optimization of resources available for monitoring on food safety and human-animal related diseases by government agencies and agribusiness firms to safeguard food safety and quality on (e.g. feed producers and slaughterhouses).
Sustainable food
This theme analyses the integrated sustainable performance of food supply chains using multi-criteria analysis, benchmarking tools and extended LCA. Furthermore, animal welfare decisions by farmers in response to requirements put on food supply chains by society, retailers and government agencies are analysed.
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