Work package 2 looks at the economic feasibility of investments for farmers to switch to more crop-diverse systems, such as strip farming, and what factors influence their willingness to engage in ecologically sound farming.

Numerous value chains are conceivable in which farmers can market their products from a more crop-diverse system. We examine those value chains, focusing on logistics and innovative technologies. We also look at agricultural productivity, or yields, and distribution networks. The aim is to develop a set of business models that fit different value chains.

Goal: Examining economic and psychological factors in the adoption behaviour of farmers and consumers. In addition, studying issues of distribution, logistics and technology in various value propositions of mixed cropping. 

Research projects

Farmer adoption and economy

Logistics and value chains

Technology and business models

• Economic analysis of mixed cropping systems in Dutch agriculture
• Farmers' willingness to adopt mixed cropping

• Sustainable production planning and field logistics
• Designing agricultural landscapes
• Efficient distribution networks

• Technological readiness
• Connecting ecology, economy and technology in value chains

Do you want to know more about work package 2 or get in touch with specific researchers? Email us at cropmix@wur.nl.

To work package 1 | Agro-ecology

To work package 3 | Institutional change