SUS-CHAIN
Partner 7
Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS)
at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe - University Frankfurt am Main
Zeppelinallee 31
60325 Frankfurt (Main)
Germany
Tel: ** 49 69 775001
Fax: ** 49 69 777784
Web site: http://www.ifls.de
About the IfLS
The Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS) was established in 1956 as an independent research institute attached to the University of Frankfurt. A Scientific Board links the IfLS with the University. Several faculties that are relevant for the research and consultancy work carried out at the IfLS are represented on this board: Social and Political Sciences, Earth Sciences and Geography, Environmental Sciences, Economics and Business Administration, Law.
The funding of research and consulting projects constitutes the financial basis of the Institute. The main clients are the European Commission, Ministries of the Federal State (agriculture, regional development, environment, economy), the German Länder, the regions, the Federal Environment Agency, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and various foundations and non-governmental organisations. In the last 45 years the IfLS has cooperated with EU and national bodies, programmes, networks and initiatives in over 320 projects.
The main fields of research and consulting are the integration of agricultural with rural development and environmental objectives, the exploration of agricultural structural change, and of its determinants and implications, the monitoring and evaluation of the effects of agricultural, agri-environmental and rural development policy with advice on policy formulation, and, related to that, concepts and programmes for supporting a sustainable development of rural areas. The multifunctionality of agriculture and of rural areas is a key question in several ongoing research and consultancy projects.
At present the IfLS has ten researchers from a broad range of disciplines within the institute and it is integrated with a significant research network at the university. Main staff disciplines include: agricultural and environmental sciences; political sciences; political, regional and general economics; marketing research. Language competency of the staff members comprises: German, English, French, Italian and Spanish.
Role in the project
The IfLS contributes to all work packages of the SUSCHAIN project with national and case study level analyses as well as contributions to the elaboration of the overall work programme. More specifically the IfLS is responsible for and co-ordinates work package 6 - the comparative analysis of case studies. The overall aim of this work package is to conduct a transversal analysis of all case studies. Specific objectives of the transversal analysis are: to identify major patterns and trends regarding the evolution and socio-economic dynamics of food supply chains by building typologies; and to identify key factors that determine the performance of food supply chains.
Scientific personnel involved
Dr. Karlheinz Knickel, Senior Researcher and coordinator German team
Dipl.Ing.agr. Gundula Jahn
Dipl.soz. Sarah Peter
Baerbel Nienhaus
Nadja Kasperczyk
