Research
Publications
Agro-food marketing and consumer behavior
Research domain
The marketing challenges faced by agricultural production, and its resulting agricultural and food products, both within the Belgian, European and global context. Consumer behavior is the point of departure for these studies.
Research questions pertain to the role and impact of personal, product-related and environmental factors such as communication and labeling on contemporary consumers’ opinions, perceptions, attitude and choices
Research themes
- Consumer acceptance of technological innovations in the food chain
- Trends and changes in food and dietary choice
- Impact of ethical and sustainability concerns of individuals in their role as consumer and citizen
The research team is active in several European research consortia in the domain of food consumer science
Rural development
Research domain
Our research area is rural development in the Global South. We integrate economics and sociology to increase our understanding on how institutional dynamics affect people making a living from agriculture.
Research themes
- Food security
- Food policy
- Rural sociology
- Rural market access, cooperatives and contracts
- Institutional changes in land, labour and market conditions
Economics and management of natural resources
Research domain
Sustainable and efficient management of natural resoruces
Research fields
- Evaluating the efficiency and sustainability of the resource use outcomes.
- Analysing how management policies affect the relationship between actors and natural resources. Investigating the role of the institutional settings in sustainable resource management.
- Valuation of natural resources.
This research group is member of the Natural Capital research cluster of the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University, Belgium.
Modelling and optimisation of decisions in economics, resources, nature and agriculture (MODERNA)
Research domain
Developing integrated models combining biophysical and economic aspects in order to assess agricultural and environmental policies often related to the nitrogen cycle and the EU common agricultural policy
Research themes
- Nutrient recycling & manure management
- Environmental and agricultural policy analysis
- Integrated modelling of economic and biophysical aspects
- Rural development policy evaluation & design
Agribusiness marketing and management
Research domain
Influence of a dynamic environment in which firms operate based on the trading results. Increased attention is given to business-to-business relations, in which a structured and well considered approach is central.
Research themes
- business-to-business relations
- economic importance of secondary flows
- analysis of prices, focused on the development of models related to supply and demand that explain and predict price evolutions.
Farm management, agricultural policy and rural environmental economics
Research domain
The relation between the farm and the environment and how this is influenced by policies.
Research themes
- Consequences of agricultural and environmental policies on farm management
- Possibilities of multifunctionality on farms
- Institutional economics
- Transaction costs
- Rural development policy