PhD Quality of farm labour and new organizational arrangements

at  Wageningen University Research

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SHAPING THE FUTURE OF FARM LABOUR? DO YOU WANT TO EXPLORE HOW NEW ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES IN REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE CAN MAKE FARM WORK MORE APPEALING AND SUSTAINABLE? ARE YOU EAGER TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INNOVATIVE SUCCESSION PLANS IN FARMING COMMUNITIES? THEN THIS PHD OPPORTUNITY MAY BE OF INTEREST TO YOU!

In October 2024 a new, large-scale project focused on regenerative agriculture in the Netherlands will commence. Together with regenerative Dutch farmers, ReGeNL is developing a future-proof agricultural sector in which agriculture goes hand in hand with soil improvement and restoration of biodiversity, and a good revenue model for farmers. Between now and 2030, ReGeNL will start the transition to regenerative agriculture with 1000 farmers. The aim is to make regenerative agriculture the new normal by 2040.
This PhD will be one of 19 PhDs being recruited to support the monitoring, modelling and valuing of regenerative farms in the Netherlands. This large-scale transdisciplinary project (ReGeNL) will assess which combinations of practices contribute to regenerative outcomes at 8 different types of regenerative agriculture systems. The project aims to be an accelerator for the transition to a regenerative, remunerative and socially supported agricultural sector.
Regenerative agriculture is leading to a greater variety of farming practices, which is prompting changes in the organization, quality, and compensation of farm labour. This includes the introduction of new pension schemes, farm succession plans, and new multifunctionality and community cooperative arrangements (Zoöps).
However, not much is known about how these new organizational structures impact the continuity, quality, and compensation of farm labour. Do these new organizational arrangements make farm labour more appealing? In what ways? What factors contribute to making farm labour attractive and accessible? And how does this relate to new organizational arrangements and succession plans? Over the next decade, half of the farms in the Netherlands will need to address succession, and more than half have not yet identified a successor. What new collective succession plans are emerging?
This PhD project provides an opportunity to explore this new diversity and actively contribute to the advancement of succession design, planning and implementation.

Please refer the Job description for details