Developing innovative agribusiness models using true cost accounting

SFERE is the Sustainable Food Economies Research Group led by prof. Erik Mathijs and part of the Division of Bioeconomics. SFERE is a research team that deals with sustainability of the food chain. We aim to obtain insights in global food demand and food production, including challenges and opportunities of the food system. Topics include regenerative agriculture, food environments, true cost accounting and food system resilience.
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Project

The REFORM project is a projected funded by the Flemish science foundation FWO in collaboration with ILVO and University of Antwerp. Its aim is to establish an equilibrium between the true cost of agribusiness models and the creation of additional value. The path to this equilibrium not only entails acknowledging the costs but also recognizing the untapped potential for value creation in agribusiness models. Therefore, the first step is to develop a methodological framework tailored to agri-food systems that identifies their values and establishes robust evaluation pathways. This framework can then be applied to existing agribusiness models to assess the values associated with them. Another critical aspect is analyzing whether the cost of incorporating these values exceeds their added value. Lastly, the novel agribusiness models will be tested with stakeholders and their upscaling and outscaling possibilities will be investigated. In conclusion, the project aims to cultivate innovative agribusiness models that strike a balance between economic, social, and environmental costs and value. Your role in the project is mainly to build a robust conceptual framework and to get insights into the conditions that affect the desirability, from a social welfare point of view, of different types of sustainable agribusiness models.

Profile

• Master in agricultural economics, bioscience engineering, economics or similar
• Graduated at least cum laude (distinction), as this is a requirement to start a PhD
• Fluent in English
• Eager and able to work together in interdisciplinary teams

Offer

• A dynamic working environment consisting of motivated and competent researchers and engineers, where quality, professionalism, diversity and respect for social and cultural differences are among the basic values. 
• A work environment in which bridging research, project management, education and outreach is central.
• A one year PhD scholarship that can be extended after positive evaluation. Finance is available for a full four-year scholarship

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Erik Mathijs, tel.: +32 16 32 14 50, mail: erik.mathijs@kuleuven.be.

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