Global demand for food and agricultural products is on the rise. There is hence the need to increase production to meet this growing demand and smallholders will play a significant role. One strategy for smallholders to sustainably increase agricultural production is the use of modern...

This dissertation is an empirical investigation of the implications of the Indonesian oil palm sector for rural village communities located in Jambi province, on the island of Sumatra. It consists of three contributions to the scientific literature on land-use dynamics, economic development, and...

Sustainable food production and consumption are important goals for an increasing number of consumers, policy makers, and other actors along global food chains. This is also reflected in the 12th United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal, which emphasizes the need for sustainable...

Oil palm has become one of the most rapidly expanding crops throughout the humid tropics. Over the last two decades, the area under oil palm has almost tripled and its production more than quadrupled. This development is mainly attributed to the rising demand for vegetable oils and biofuels,...

Globalization and growing demand for high-quality food have facilitated and increased international trade in food products and at the same time opened up new and promising business opportunities for farmers worldwide. Given this trend, the expansion of smallholders´ income opportunities through...

Persistent poverty and rapid urbanization are important development challenges in most African countries. Although the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in Africa could be reduced over the last few decades, the absolute number of people living below the poverty line continues to...

Equality for women in all areas of life is not only a fundamental human right, but is also a crucial prerequisite for achieving human development goals. Women constitute half of the world population and about 43 percent of the agricultural labor force, which makes the importance of research into...

Economic growth followed by urbanization and food supply modernization in developing countries would lead to substantial changes in food demand. Global agri-food systems are undergoing a rapid transformation towards high-value and high-quality products. China would be a good and important...

The nature of food insecurity has been changing in the world. While research on food insecurity in developing countries used to focus on undernourishment (i.e. lack of calorie consumption) and related outcomes, today, many developing countries face at least a “double burden of malnutrition”...