A1: Agricultural land and production potential
The subproject A1 is concerned with the identification of ground potentials in selected areas of the RUK countries. The main objective is to identify abandoned agricultural lands which can be re-cultivated at low economic and ecological costs. An additional aim pertains to analyzing the interdependencies between climate change, technological efficiency and yields. Moreover, chances, risks and restraints of agricultural intensification, with a particular focus on economic aspects, are studied.
Team: Daniel Müller, Alexander Prishchepov und Florian Schierhorn
A2: Productivity reserves and technological progress
The working group A2 addresses the role of technological progress in enhancing productivity in grain production. An objective is to identify the determinants of adoption of technical innovations by agricultural firms. One focus lies on the availability of and demand for biotechnological innovations in input markets for agricultural activities.
Team: Maria Belyaeva und Heinz Hockmann
A3 Flexibility of agricultural enterprises
This project focuses on the empirical analyses of the extent and the determinants of flexibility of agricultural enterprises characterized by different organizational form and size in selected regions of Russia and Kazakhstan. The research focuses in particular upon the adaptability of agricultural enterprises regarding changing production and market conditions, e.g. as a result of policy changes. This should improve our understanding of the adaption of different enterprise structures to shocks and the factors facilitating the flexibility of agricultural enterprises.
Team: Ihtiyor Bobojonov, Thomas Glauben, Linde Götz and Swetlana Renner
A4 Intensification of meat and dairy-production – impacts on land use and environment
This sub-project targets to assess the potentials of an increase in animal production in the RUK countries and its associated environmental costs and greenhouse gas emissions. At first the amount of the required fodder and land to fulfill the politically intended aim of self-sufficiency regarding animal production will be calculated. The additional demand for cultivation and pasture area will be quantified. Furthermore, the environmental costs in terms of carbon dioxide emissions that come along with the re-cultivation of fallow lands due to the increase of animal production will be estimated. These effects will be simulated for different grades of self-sufficiency.
Team: Daniel Müller and Florian Schierhorn
B1: Market integration und price transmission
The focus of the working group B1 are price adjustments processes on national and international agricultural markets and the linkages among these markets. Of particular interest is the transmission of price shocks and price volatility from international to national markets. The political framework, particularly, restrictions on foreign trade and price controls, is considered in the model approach.
Team: Ivan Djuric, Thomas Glauben und Linde Götz
B2: Pattern of foreign trade and international competition
The subproject B2 studies international grain trade flows accounting for imperfect competition, international trade agreements and trade restrictions. One special focus is devoted to the impacts of agricultural and trade policies of the RUK countries on the trade relationships with their main trading partners in the MENA region.
Team: Thomas Glauben, Kerstin Friebel und Oleksandre Perekhozhuk
B3: Trade infrastructure, trading costs and grain exports
The working group B2 is concerned with the availability and costs of transport and storing capacities in the grain production areas of the RUK countries. The objective is to determine the spatially specified capacities and costs for transport and storage facilities. These are used for the calculation of the wheat export potentials of the RUK countries.
Team: Thomas Glauben, Linde Götz, Sören Prehn und Swetlana Renner
C1: Mobilization of the grain production and export potentials
The measures for the mobilization of the production and export potentials of the RUK countries are elaborated based on the findings of the working groups A and B. These include, inter alia, region-specific recommendations for investments in trade infrastructure. Furthermore, approaches for the adaption of technical innovations are derived in consideration of the developments on the national and international grain markets.
Team: Thomas Glauben, Thomas Herzfeld, Iryna Kulyk und Ramona Teuber
C2 Impacts of climate change and modernization strategies on production- and market potential
To analyze the impacts of climate on agricultural production more in detail, it is necessary to investigate the production potential in selected regions on the basis of individual farm data. The results are supposed to give information on adaption measures of agricultural enterprises to deal with changes in economic and natural conditions. It is planned to deeper examine the strategies of modernization of different types of enterprises, especially agroholdings and independent and family farms) as well as the effects of technical progress.
Team: Maria Belyaeva, Raushan Bokusheva und Heinz Hockmann