PhD on Effectively steering the regenerative agriculture transition

at  Wageningen University Research

THERE IS STEADILY GROWING PRESSURE ON AGRICULTURE AND THE ENTIRE FOOD SYSTEM TO ALIGN GLOBAL PRODUCTION WITH IMPROVED SUSTAINABILITY IN TERMS OF FARMERS’ INCOMES, SOIL HEALTH, INPUT USE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IS A PROMISING AVENUE TO SUPPORT A HEALTHY, MULTI-FUNCTIONAL AND FUTURE-PROOF SOIL AND FARMING SYSTEM. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THE GOVERNANCE OF FOSTERING A TRANSITION TOWARDS REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE?

The ReGENL project aims to develop a future-proof agricultural sector in which agriculture goes hand in hand with soil health, nature restoration, and a good revenue model for farmers. Between now and 2030, ReGeNL will support the transition to regenerative agriculture with 1000 farmers. The aim is to make regenerative agriculture the new normal by 2040. The project aims to be an accelerator for the transition to a regenerative, profitable and socially supported agricultural sector. It is embedded in a large consortium of partners from farming, processing to retail, banking and education.
Within the ReGeNL project, this specific PhD position focuses on the governance of a transition towards regenerative agriculture. In order to recognize the contributions of farms to environmental and social outcomes, both public and private actors have developed numerous sustainability programs and incentives. These initiatives employ a variety of policy instruments (e.g., price premiums or pricing negative impacts) and governance approaches (e.g., collaborative or market-based governance) to encourage the adoption of regenerative farming practices. This PhD project aims to better understand the opportunities and challenges in effectively and legitimately steering the agricultural and food systems towards more regenerative outcomes. We will compare different governance interventions with farming practices and experiment with various interventions in practice.
This PhD will be based within the Public Administration and Policy group, in collaboration with the Animal Production Systems group, both at Wageningen University & Research. As such, the position is situated on the interface of social and agricultural sciences. You will get the opportunity to develop and execute your own research proposal within the larger scope of the project. As a PhD you will receive support and mentorship in the design and implementation of your PhD project. You will develop a training and supervision plan with your supervisory team and be part of the ReGeNL training program on Regenerative Agriculture.

Please refer the Job description for details