Research
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.
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 details see the research profile of the AEP group on Research@wur.
You can recognize three themes in the research that our group is involved in.
1. Markets and Policies
This theme focuses, e.g., on the impact of reforms of the EU Common Agricultural Policy; and the effects of increased price volatility on farmers'...
2. Spatial Structures
This theme includes research on the provision of green services, landscape valuation, rural policy modelling and land use analysis. Within this theme,...
3. Institutional and Organizational Aspects
This theme includes organizational economic aspects of, for example, agri-food value chains, contract farming and agri-environmental schemes. The...