Integrated Economic and Sustainability Modeling for Agroecological Business Models

PhD position

The Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) is seeking applications for a PhD position within the Horizon Europe-funded GREENCOOP project, which supports the transition of rural communities toward resilient, inclusive, and climate-smart business models. ZALF is a member of the Leibniz Association and a leading research institute nationally and internationally in the field of sustainable agriculture. The position is hosted by the “Farm Economics and Ecosystem Services” research group—a dynamic, interdisciplinary team of postdocs and PhD candidates working together on science that matters.

This doctoral project will focus on modeling and assessing the sustainability and macroeconomic impacts of Agroecological and Digital Innovations (ADIs) integrated into Rural Community Business Models (RCBMs). The research contributes to the development of a multi-level Business Decision Support Tool (BUS-DST) by linking the farm-scale MODAM bio-economic model with macroeconomic Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models.

Key Responsibilities:

Develop an integrated modeling framework that combines MODAM and CGE models to analyze RCBM strategies at both farm and regional levels.
Conduct ex-ante impact assessments of ADI-based RCBMs on economic, environmental, and social outcomes.
Collaborate with GREENCOOP partners, particularly those coordinating Living Labs and stakeholder co-creation processes.
Contribute to data processing, sustainability indicator development, and multi-criteria decision analyses for scaling RCBMs across Europe and China.
Apply SWOT analysis to support strategic planning for sustainable agribusiness transformation.