GRK 2654:  Sustainable Food Systems

• Subject Area: Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine
• Term: since 2021
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 432617398

The international effort to achieve food security for all remains an unfinished agenda. Beyond the “old” challenges of fighting hunger, several “new” challenges have emerged, which further complicate the search for sustainable solutions. Some of these new challenges include the excessive environmental footprint of agriculture, food waste, climate change, nutritional problems other than hunger, changing food environments, and evolving public attitudes. It is becoming increasingly clear that the challenges for agriculture, the environment, food, and nutrition are closely intertwined and that the multifaceted interactions cannot be captured with agricultural production or supply chain approaches alone. Analyzing relevant aspects requires a broader food systems perspective that includes all actors and activities involved in the production, distribution, and consumption of food, as well as the relevant drivers and outcomes. The main objective of the RTG is to advance research on the manifold interactions between agriculture, food consumption, nutrition, health, the environment, and societal attitudes. A better understanding of these interactions is required for policymaking towards more sustainable food systems. The objective of the qualification program is to train new generations of researchers who look at food and agriculture through an integrated food systems lens. The program is organized in cooperation with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), further increasing the attractiveness and international visibility. The focus on interactions is reflected in three research areas that analyze associations between food systems and different sustainability dimensions, as well as policy options to strengthen synergies and reduce tradeoffs. The research involves development of new analytical concepts and empirical studies with data from low-, middle-, and high-income countries. The research builds on methods from economics and the social sciences and integrates interdisciplinary approaches through cooperation with colleagues from relevant natural sciences, including nutrition, health, ecology, agronomy, and climatology. Doctoral researchers are supervised by interdisciplinary thesis committees and have ample opportunities to gain international experience through research stays abroad, international conferences, the visiting researcher program, and joint seminars with IFPRI and KU Leuven.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Participating Institution: International Food Policy Research Institute; Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
• Participating Researchers: Professorin Dr. Yasemin Boztug; Professor Dr. Bernhard Brümmer; Professorin Dr. Gesa Busch, until 9/2022; Professorin Dr. Liesbeth Colen, since 3/2022; Professor Dr. Stephan von Cramon-Taubadel; Professorin Dr. Silke Hüttel, since 4/2023; Professorin Dr. Krisztina Kis-Katos; Professorin Dr. Doris Läpple, since 11/2023; Professor Dr. Oliver Mußhoff; Professor Dr. Tobias Plieninger; Professorin Dr. Senja Post, until 8/2021; Professor Dr. Matin Qaim; Professor Dr. Achim Spiller; Professor Sebastian Vollmer, Ph.D.; Professor Xiaohua Yu, Ph.D.
• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Meike Wollni, since 10/2021