There is steadily growing pressure on agriculture and the entire food system to align global production with improved sustainability in terms of farmers' incomes, soil health, input use, and environmental impact. Regenerative agriculture is a promising avenue to support a healthy, multi-functional and future-proof soil and farming system. Are you interested in the governance of fostering a transition towards regenerative agriculture?
The ReGENL project aims to develop a future-proof agricultural sector in which agriculture goes hand in hand with soil health, nature restoration, and a good revenue model for farmers. Between now and 2030, ReGeNL will support the transition to regenerative agriculture with 1000 farmers. The aim is to make regenerative agriculture the new normal by 2040. The project aims to be an accelerator for the transition to a regenerative, profitable and socially supported agricultural sector. It is embedded in a large consortium of partners from farming, processing to retail, banking and education.
Within the ReGeNL project, this specific PhD position focuses on the governance of a transition towards regenerative agriculture. In order to recognize the contributions of farms to environmental and social outcomes, both public and private actors have developed numerous sustainability programs and incentives. These initiatives employ a variety of policy instruments (e.g., price premiums or pricing negative impacts) and governance approaches (e.g., collaborative or market-based governance) to encourage the adoption of regenerative farming practices. This PhD project aims to better understand the opportunities and challenges in effectively and legitimately steering the agricultural and food systems towards more regenerative outcomes. We will compare different governance interventions with farming practices and experiment with various interventions in practice.
This PhD will be based within the Public Administration and Policy group, in collaboration with the Animal Production Systems group, both at Wageningen University & Research. As such, the position is situated on the interface of social and agricultural sciences. You will get the opportunity to develop and execute your own research proposal within the larger scope of the project. As a PhD you will receive support and mentorship in the design and implementation of your PhD project. You will develop a training and supervision plan with your supervisory team and be part of the ReGeNL training program on Regenerative Agriculture.
You will work here
This interdisciplinary position offers a unique opportunity to work with two chair groups across the social and animal sciences: the Public Administration and Policy Group (PAP) and the Animal Production Systems Group (APS) at Wageningen University & Research. You will be co-supervised by Dr. Jeroen Candel (PAP) and Dr. Evelien de Olde (APS) and join the vibrant ReGeNL PhD team and training program.
You have:
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
For more information about this position, please contact Jeroen Candel, Associate Professor, via email: Jeroen.candel@wur.nl or Evelien de Olde, Assistant Professor, via email: evelien.deolde@wur.nl.
For more information about the procedure you can contact Recruitment Support via email: recruitment.support@wur.nl.
Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.
This vacancy will be listed up to and including September 30th 2024. A first round of interviews is expected to take place on the 3rd and 7th of October 2024.
Additional information form
For this position, you must fill in a mandatory form which will allow us to have a comprehensive view of your qualifications and better assess your fit for it. You can access the form using the link below:
https://forms.office.com/e/70bKnQsrvd
Your prompt response will ensure that your application continues to move forward in the evaluation process. We assure you that the information provided will be kept confidential and used solely for this application process.
Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment.
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.
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We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves and do not appreciate unasked for services from recruitment agencies. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.
In your application, please refer to Professorpositions.com