- Location: Ireland, Northern Ireland
- Institution: Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute, Dublin City University, University College Dublin
- Status: Active
- Type: Independent
- Theme: Enabling Fair Transformations
- Timeframe: 2024 - 2029
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Debates on how we should use agricultural land are often informed by existing evidence on what we should eat. While this approach generally makes sense, not all farming is equal. The environmental impact of producing the same food can vary significantly depending on where and how it is grown. Similarly, the economic consequence of changing how land is used will affect farmers very differently depending on their skills, financial circumstances, and what alternative options are available to them.
This project aims to address that gap. By accounting for these differences, the project seeks to understand the true economic impact of policy-driven changes to land use on farmers and the wider agri-food sector. A key focus of the project is to identify which groups within the farming community are most at risk of being left behind during the transition to more sustainable land use. Understanding where these vulnerabilities lie is essential for designing policies that are not only environmentally effective, but also fair and economically resilient for the people they affect.
To do this, the project will develop a modelling framework that works across multiple scales, from individual farms to whole landscapes, simultaneously assessing the economic and environmental consequences of land use change. The goal is to give policymakers the evidence they need to design transitions that are good for the planet and just for the people who work and depend on the land.
Project Goals
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Assess the trade-offs at the individual farm level by looking at what farmers stand to gain and lose, both financially and environmentally, when how they use their land changes.
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Assess the trade-offs at the catchment and landscape levels by exploring how changes in farming systems across a wider area affect water quality and environmental emissions, since these do not always respond in predictable ways when land use shifts.
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Assess the trade-offs at the national level by quantifying the broader economic consequences of large-scale land use change, including effects on food production and the wider economy.
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Identify realistic and fair pathways for the farming industry by pinpointing routes into the transition that are environmentally sound, practically achievable, and financially fair for the individual farmers making the change.
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