Institut für Agrarpolitik und Landwirtschaftliche Marktlehre

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hohpublica.uni-hohenheim.de/handle/123456789/17

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Can market fragmentation explain the limited success of political attempts to promote grain legume cultivation in Germany?
(2025) Mittag, Franziska; Hess, Sebastian
Grain legumes, such as field peas, field beans, sweet lupins and soybeans, are known to increase biodiversity within the appropriate crop rotation and are an important source of import-substituting feed protein. National and regional policy schemes have long tried to support the cultivation of grain legumes. Although many regions in Germany offer favourable conditions for grain legumes, previous subsidy schemes have failed to increase the area under cultivation and farmers report a lack of market incentives. Indeed, the available price data exhibit a substantial share of non-random missing values in weeks when grain legumes were not traded. We analyse these non-price periods using cointegration tests and single-hurdle Tobit models. The results indicate that regional price formation for grain legumes in German regions depends not only on a minimum quantity of the respective legume crop in supply but also on a favourable supra-regional soybean price: Regional grain legume markets are not integrated and show evidence of a fragmented market structure. This may explain why local grain legume value chains have failed to emerge in Germany, despite decades of policy attempts to support these crops.
Comparing hops and malt price transmission in the beer value chain: evidence from Germany
(2025) Hess, Sebastian; Bublik, Nikolas
The German beer value chain has received limited attention so far, despite the country’s central role in global beer production. This study investigates the price dynamics of its two key inputs—hops and malt—using monthly price data from 2015 to 2024 based on a unique dataset from a German hops cooperative. While contract farming is common for both raw materials, malt is traded via private firms, whereas hops are marketed almost exclusively through farmer-owned cooperatives. A vector error correction model (VECM) is estimated, incorporating structural break dummies identified through Bai–Perron tests, followed by forecast error variance decomposition (FEVD) and impulse response function (IRF) analysis. The results show that hop prices are largely self-driven and adjust more quickly to deviations from equilibrium than malt or beer prices. While malt and beer exhibit stronger interdependencies, the hop sector displays greater price stability. The findings further reveal that the malting sector responded significantly to the recent energy price crisis in Germany, whereas the hop sector did not.
The economic value of pollination services for seed production: a blind spot deserving attention
(2024) Feuerbacher, Arndt; Herbold, Theresa; Krumbe, Falk
Animal-mediated pollination is important for agricultural seed and crop production, and critical to overall ecosystem health. However, the scientific literature focused on the economic valuation of pollination services has thus far neglected the role of pollination services in seed production. The marketed food output of many crops is not dependent on pollination services, but these crops indirectly depend on pollination services with respect to their seed production. This study proposes a partial equilibrium framework for identifying the value of pollination services. Using Germany as a case study, we find the value of pollination services is about 33% higher when seed production is considered. This increased valuation is driven by two effects: higher seed costs due to high dependence on pollination services, and a higher demand for seeds due to the land expansion needed to mitigate a potential pollinator collapse. This study demonstrates that more sophisticated approaches are needed to estimate the economic value of pollination services more accurately.
Is the system of rice intensification (SRI) pro poor? Labour, class and technological change in West Africa
(2021) Graf, Sarah Lena; Oya, Carlos
CONTEXT Increasing numbers of young people enter Sub-Saharan Africa's labour markets each year while industrial jobs only grow slowly. As 62% of Sub-Saharan Africans work in agriculture and as the rural population will continue to rise, agriculture will need to provide additional income- earning opportunities. In this context agricultural technologies should be promoted that can increase food production to answer rising demand and generate decent income-earning opportunities. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is widely promoted in West Africa and could address these needs – but recent findings from Asia present negative social impacts on workers. OBJECTIVE This paper explores the mechanisms that shape adoption patterns and impacts of SRI in different (West African) contexts through a labour lens. METHODS Our innovative theoretical framework integrates analytical and empirical categories from Farming Systems research and agrarian political economy. The mixed methods approach combines: (1) quantitative analysis of existing survey data from 857 agricultural households in Ghana, Benin and Mali; and (2) qualitative analysis of an in-depth case study in the Oti Region of Ghana. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION SRI increases yield and profitability in West African rice farming, especially when locally adapted. Farmers adjust SRI to fit lowland rice farming, where water cannot be controlled and to address labour constraints. Additional labour for transplanting (instead of broadcasting) – coinciding with an existing labour bottleneck – constrains SRI adoption. SRI is mainly practised by marginal and accumulating farmers and to a lesser extent by medium farmers. Accumulating farmers invest in agriculture, farm profit-oriented and overcome labour constraints by hiring. Thus, they can practise SRI on larger scale and their absolute benefits are higher. Nevertheless, they rely on hired labour to do so, which strengthens workers' bargaining position. Consequently, SRI benefits all: accumulating farmers who employ as well as marginal farmers and hired labourers. Contrary to findings from Asia, SRI seems to be relatively pro-poor in West Africa. SIGNIFICANCE While seasonal labour use remains a key constraint to technology adoption, labour intensive technologies can also contribute to increasing income-earning opportunities. The social outcomes of technological change will be shaped by both the existing agricultural practices and the social relations in which a new technology is adopted. Our theoretical framework can inform further research and the application of existing evidence to new contexts.
Market-based instruments for biodiversity in agricultural landscapes: An evaluation of quality criteria in a German case study
(2025) Streit, Lea; Feuerbacher, Arndt; Röhl, Markus
Market-based instruments (MBIs) for the protection and promotion of biodiversity have gained significant importance in recent years. The success of MBIs depends largely on the transparent presentation of their actual effects, which rely on the quality of implementation. Quality criteria can be used to evaluate this. To date, few studies have examined whether and how these criteria are applied. This study seeks to address this gap, by using MBIs in the German agricultural landscape as a case study. Quality criteria were defined on the basis of a literature review; then applied to MBIs identified through an internet search and finally analyzed. Quality criteria related to methodological approaches (implementation, maintenance, used seed mixtures) and quality control (monitoring, localization) are presented less frequently than information on rights and obligations or the use of financial funds. Among the 151 MBIs analyzed, 70% lack control mechanisms and monitoring systems, indicating unverified effectiveness. Additionally, MBIs financed through program approaches are more likely to have control mechanisms and include perennial measures than MBIs funded by direct payments of sponsors or consumers purchasing a product. The development of MBI offerings suggests that there is persistent and growing demand, as some programs have been running for several decades. However, without ecological monitoring, it is not possible to ascertain whether these measures benefit biodiversity. To establish standardized methods for comparing MBIs for biodiversity, policymakers must consider official guidelines and, where appropriate, implement regulatory frameworks.
The role of biodiversity in consumer research on food : a review and research agenda
(2025) Schneider, Deborah; Osieja, Sanja; Herbes, Carsten; Weinrich, Ramona
The move towards sustainable consumption has drawn significant attention from scholars and practitioners alike. Biodiversity is an integral part of environmental sustainability and food security, but it has received little attention in consumer research. Findings are fragmented into how biodiversity as a product attribute affects consumer food choices. Thus, we conducted a systematic literature review on consumer research on biodiversity in the context of food choice. We reviewed 45 papers published between 2014 and March 2025. Our analysis was guided by the TCCM (Theories, Contexts, Characteristics, and Methodology) framework for developing a systematic literature review. We examined how biodiversity was conceptualized and defined within the studies and towards study participants. Our findings show that biodiversity as a product attribute generally has positive effects on consumer attitude, willingness to pay, and product choice. However, knowledge about biodiversity and the inherent trade-offs in product choices remains limited, so consumers cannot realistically factor biodiversity into their decision-making. We find that research has taken a narrow view of biodiversity, qualitative studies are rare, and few efforts have been made to build theoretical perspectives from empirical data. We conclude with a proposed agenda for future research and a tentative definition of biodiversity for social science.
Sustainable food consumption and Sustainable Development Goal 12: conceptual challenges for monitoring and implementation
(2024) Mensah, Kristina; Wieck, Christine; Rudloff, Bettina
In recent years, policy initiatives have been developed to promote sustainability. Although sustainable food production is an integral part of many national agricultural policies, this is not the case for sustainable food consumption. This article systematically reviews key elements of sustainable food consumption and evaluates how they align with existing policy indicators, specifically SDG 12, within the context of the agricultural policy of the European Union. Through a cross-referencing approach, this article identifies gaps and possible improvements in policy indicator frameworks to better capture elements of sustainable food consumption. We find that SDG 12 targets are not suitable to assess progress to sustainable food consumption. While targets are closely linked to environmental and economic issues, they are insufficient to monitor sustainable food consumption. Our findings suggest the necessity for enhanced or modified policy indicators that encompass the key elements of sustainable food consumption as well as a comprehensive definition of the latter to effectively design and evaluate polices on this matter.

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