Institute of Rural Studies
We analyse various challenges that rural areas face in Germany and the EU from different angles using different methods. Our key questions are:
- Which framework conditions and requirements are advantageous to sustainable rural development and which impede it?
- Which interactions between agriculture, economy, society, and environment have to be considered?
- How can politics establish an adequate framework to mobilize potentials in rural areas?
- What impacts do different forms and intensities of land use have on natural resources and how can use conflicts be solved?
We carry out retrospective analyses, anticipatory model-supported policy impact assessments, and empirical surveys, and apply spatial information technologies. As part of the federal research program of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection we support decision-making on policies for developing rural areas, identify perspectives, and contribute to the scientific progress.
Current News
CC-LandStraD started successful in second project phase
The project CC-LandStraD analyses interdependencies between land uses and climate change in agriculture, forestry and settlement. The aim is to develop sustainable and societally based land use strategies. These strategies shall contribute to the national climate protection goals and further to the necessary climate adaptations of land use. International advisers of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research certified the successful first working phase within an interim review process and gave a green light for the second project phase until October 2012.
In addition to the Institute of Rural Studies the Thünen-Institutes (vTI) of Agricultural Climate Research, of Biodiversity and Forest Based Sector Economics are also involved. Further Partners are the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the Westfälische Wilhelms-University (WWU) Münster and the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF).
More Information about CC-LandStraD here.
German Agriculture in 2021
The potential impact of increased bioenergy production on German agriculture and the development of farm incomes in different farm types in the respective scenario are investigated in a newly published study of the Thünen Institute. The “vTI-Baseline 2011-2021“ provides a projection of expected developments and primarily serves to facilitate the analysis of alternative agricultural policy options.
more (only available in German)
Rural Development Policy (2014-2020): An assessment of the legal proposals launched by the Commission in October 2011
In October 2011 the European Commission presented the legislative proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the cohesion policy for the financial period 2014 – 2020. This report provides an overview of the relevant draft regulations and adds a preliminary assessment of the implications for the rural development programmes 2014 – 2020 in Germany. The draft regulations suggest a stronger orientation of the agricultural and regional policies towards the Europe 2020 objectives. The common strategic framework and the partnership contracts for rural development and structural funding between the European Commission and the Member States are expected to deliver a greater coherence between the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Structural Funds. In the CAP the distinction between the first and second pillar becomes less clear. However, the range of measures in the second pillar largely remains unchanged. Since minimum budget shares will be defined for only two areas (climate and LEADER), Member States, or in the case of Germany the Federal States, have more scope to design their rural development programmes. The planned differentiation of the co-financing rates does not suggest an orientation towards “European added value”, territorial aspects of public good provision or a focus on regions with specific problems. Despite the objective to simplify the CAP, the new proposals are expected to lead to an increase in the administrative burden.
Download (German; not barrier free; 1.8 MB)
Do non-agricultural investors gain importance on farmland markets?
The heavily rising prices of farmland in the past few years are often – especially in East Germany – associated with non-agricultural investors. A study of the Thünen-Institute (vTI) shows that the group of non-agricultural investors is very heterogeneous and comprises big investors with supra-regionally organized farming as well as small investors buying land in order to lease it. The effects of all these investors on land prices have therefore to be evaluated in a differentiated way.
The study was presented at a workshop on October 27th in Berlin. Here you find the workshop programme (German; not barrier free; 617 KB) and the presentation of the study (German; not barrier free; 3.7 MB).
Max Eyth Medal for vTI scientist
The German Agriculture Society (DLG) has awarded Dr. Heinrich Becker, senior scientist at the vTI Institute of Rural Studies, the Max Eyth Medal. With this great honour the DLG recognizes both his efforts to mobilize potentials in rural areas and his engagement within the DLG.