Theses

Current topics for theses deal with e.g. consumers' acceptance of sustainable packaging, consumers' liking of meat substitutes, farmers' acceptance of novel technologies.

Bachelor:

• Application of hedonic pricing models in consumer research - A literature review (Supervisor: Milan Tatic)
• Implicit attitudes in food consumer research - A literature review (Supervisor: Milan Tatic)
• Eye tracking methods in food consumer research - A literature review (Supervisor: Milan Tatic)
• Agricultural Data Governance in the Digital Transformation of the Agricultural Sector (Supervisor: Monja Sauvagerd)
• The effect of providing information at the Point of Sale (Supervisor: Leonie Bach)
• Retail concentration and food prices: What does the literature tell us? (Supervisor: Milan Tatic)
• The role of packaging in consumer acceptance of novel food products: A literature review (Supervisor: Milan Tatic)
• Factors influencing the willingness to buy aquaponic fish - a qualitative evaluation (Supervisor: Janine Macht)
• Price hedging for milk with contracts for butter and skimmed milk powder: principles, procedures and risks (Supervisor: Dr. Johannes Simons)

Master:

• Consumers‘ liking of lupin based meat subsitutes - The effect of information (Supervisor: Bodo Rehm)
• AllCups - how do consumers perceive the eatable coffee cup? (Supervisor: Janine Macht)
• Too Good To Go - Impact on firm's reputation and acquisition (Supervisor: Jeanette Klink-Lehmann)
• Too Good To Go - Impact on customer awareness and loyalty (Supervisor: Janine Macht)
• The role of perceived consumer responsibility for sustainable food consumption (Supervisor: Jeanette Klink-Lehmann)
• The role of digital Ag platforms in training and capacity-building for farmers in countries of the global south (Supervisor: Monja Sauvagerd)
• Sustainable (food) consumption and ethical rebound effect (Supervisor: Monika Hartmann)

Get further information on our website. 

Our research questions focus on three major fields: economics and sustainability on the farm and firm level, digital transformation of the agribusiness as well as circular economy. Therefore, if you are interested in writing your thesis on a topic related to one of these future-oriented fields, consider our group as the one supporting you on this way.

Bachelor and Master:

• Digital technologies in Agriculture: A systematic review (Supervisor: V. Berghoff)
• Wastewater reuse for food ingredients (Supervisor: V. Berghoff)
• Time preferences in agriculture (Supervisor: V. Berghoff)
• Information provision to reduce pesticide use on the farm level (Supervisor: Hermann/Möhring)

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Our group is applying novel data science tools in the area of agricultural and environmental economics. But we also offer literature reviews or qualitative research topics related to our ongoing projects. One focus is on investigating the economic and environmental aspects of farm-level agricultural technology. Topics for thesis cover the understanding under which conditions farmers adopt novel technologies, their application in practice, and the economic and environmental consequences resulting from this. 

Bachelor:

• Sustainable and healthy food consumption in Germany (Supervisor: Catharina Latka)
• Secondary effects of novel technology (Supervisor: Elin Martinsson)
• What role do contractors play in the use of new weed control technologies? (Supervisor: Anna Massfeller)

Master:

• Secondary effects of novel technology (Supervisor: Elin Martinsson)
• Role of contractors for adoption of new technologies (Supervisor: Anna Massfeller)
• Linking the Safe Operating Space to agri-environmental policies in the EU (Supervisor: Till Kuhn)
• Literature review of the effects of adopting more efficient water irrigation technologies (Supervisor: Elin Martinsson)
• Recording agricultural practices in Germany - Analysis of soil cultivation and glyphosate use in German arable farming (Supervisor: Alexa Leyens)
• Using bio-economic farm modelling to asses the economic potential of intercropping in German agriculture (Supervisor: Till Kuhn)

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Our chair has its main focus on agricultural and food policies. Beyond we are working in the areas of rural development and structural change as well as agro-environmental relations. Another important area of research is quantitative methods in econometrics and simulation modeling. Topics for B.Sc. or M.Sc. theses are in most cases determined in discussions with interested students, but concrete topics are also announced below. Students interested in writing their thesis at our department may either contact individual researchers or lecturers whom they already know, or may approach Dr. Arnim Kuhn who will help finding a thesis topic and supervision among our colleagues.

Bachelor:

No specific topics at the moment.

Master:

A gendered analysis of farmers’ preferences for companion trees in coffee agroforestry systems in Uganda (Supervisor: Hanna Ihli)

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Bachelor:

No specific topics at the moment.

Master:

No specific topics at the moment.

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We analyze environmental policies for the governance of land-based natural resources in developing and industrialized countries. Topics for theses cover the understanding, application and determinants of success of such policies including agricultural technological innovation and the concept of the bioeconomy.

Bachelor:

No specific topics at the moment.

Master:

Meta-analysis of the impact of ICT-enabled farm advisory services in developing countries (Supervisor: Dario Schulz)

Transformative change interventions for biodiversity in the EU‘s food and biomass systems (Supervisor: Daniel Braun)

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Bachelor:

We supervise bachelor theses in the following areas:

• Economic development of German/European agricultural production based on key figures
• Sustainable crop protection: evaluation of policies and policy measures, evaluation of innovative practices and technologies, evaluation of decision-making behavior
• Economic effects of environmental changes on agricultural production
• Investment and profitability analysis of adaptations and changes in agricultural production

Master:

• Information and pesticide use reduction
• Evaluating the economic potential of soil additives to reduce post-harvest nitrogen losses in agriculture
• Analysis of the sales prices of calves and their determinants: the case of Rheinland Pfalz

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Our research group is primarily concerned with consumer behavior in the context of sustainable diets, particularly the interaction of choice environments and decision making. The goal is to better understand dietary behavior in order to promote environmentally friendly, healthier, and more socially just diets. This requires behavioral nutrition research and nutrition policy analysis. Hereby, we are focusing on the following topics and accompanying theses are welcome: the supply formats of legumes, nudging interventions in the nutrition sector (e.g. in canteens and cafeterias), the market design and guidelines of food retailing, and cooperative and alternatively structured grocery stores.

Bachelor:

• Attention and Food Choices (Supervisor: Dominic Lemken):
  • Consumer characteristics and information search behavior in food choices with information overload
  • Main method: information display matrix
  • Context: complexity in food choices

Master:

• Upcycle foods from a consumer’s perspective (Supervisor: Aline Simonetti)
• Birth of sludges and their storyline (Supervisor: Ana Ines Estevez Magnasco)

Get further information on our website.