Plenary Speakers

Proposed title: Agricultural policy reform and design: the role of agricultural economics

Short summary: Agricultural policy is continuously ‘in the making’, either because it is reformed or its design needs to be adjusted to new challenges. While it is recognized that political economy-factors may be dominant drivers of this process, it is argued that the need for proper policy design and impact analysis, and the contribution of agricultural economists in this, is critical. Agricultural economics, especially its applied policy analysis branch, has many helpful tools to offer for policy makers. However, at the same the discipline should reflect on its research priorities in order to better address upcoming challenges and the broadening of policy objectives.

Bio: Roel Jongeneel (PhD) is a senior researcher and policy and market analyst at Wageningen Economic Research. He has an extensive experience in economic modelling and policy analysis. Focus areas in his research are market outlooks, impact assessments related to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), agri-environmental policy measures (including climate), and the dairy sector. He has contributed and led many projects for clients such as the Dutch national government, the European Commission (DG-Agri, DG-Envi, DG-Sanco, DG-Competition), agribusinesses and the OECD. He has been a member of the Nitrate Taskforce/Integrated Regional Approach Taskforces of Wageningen University and Research and as is such involved in multidisciplinary work on sustainable agriculture.

He is also an assistant professor at Wageningen University at the Chair Group of Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy (Social Sciences Department), where he teaches courses on agriculture and food policy and policy impact evaluation. He previously also taught cost-benefit-analysis, advanced micro economics and economic modelling. He wrote several reviewed articles, reports, books and columns, and held numerous presentations on his research at conferences and other meetings.

Proposed title: Agriculture and agricultural policy in times of change and crises

Short summary: European agriculture and the food supply chain are profoundly affected by a number of simultaneous and often interrelated challenges: the war in Ukraine and its integration to the EU, financial pressures for the EU, the need to increase overall productivity within the EU, global competitiveness of the EU, pressures to increase agricultural sustainability, climate change, digitalization and demographic change, to name but a few. On one hand, these issues cause a need for substantial changes. On the other hand, this situation creates opportunities. But what does that mean for farmers, for the agricultural sector, and for agricultural policy?

Bio: Prof. Dr. Alfons Balmann has been Director at IAMO and Head of the Department Structural Change since 2002. He studied Agricultural Economics at the University of Göttingen, Germany, where he also earned his doctoral degree. Afterwards he joined the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany, where he received his Habilitation in 2000. Further affiliations were substitute professorships at University of Applied Sciences Neubrandenburg, Germany, and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), Germany. In 2003 he received a joint appointment as full professor at the Faculty of Natural Science III of the MLU. He also is co-opted professor at the Law and Economics Faculty of the MLU.

In addition, Prof. Dr. Alfons Balmann is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Agricultural Policy, Food and Consumer Health Protection at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Within the framework of the DLG (German Agricultural Society), he is involved as Chairperson of the Rural Development Committee, a member of the Country Working Group for Eastern Europe and the General Committee.