- Titel
- The Social Dimension of Sustainability in Agri-food Systems
- Zitierfähige Url:
- https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa2-983823
- Erstveröffentlichung
- 2025
- Datum der Einreichung
- 10.03.2025
- Datum der Verteidigung
- 06.08.2025
- Abstract (EN)
- Agriculture plays a dual role in the global sustainability discourse, serving as the primary source of food for human consumption while also being a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and environmental degradation. The scientific debate increasingly emphasizes the need to balance the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of agri-food systems, taking spatial and temporal factors into account. While environmental sustainability (e.g., GHG emission reductions) and economic viability (e.g., profitability and efficiency) are well-established in research and policy discussions, social sustainability remains underexplored and often considered secondary. This thesis aims to bridge this gap by addressing the question: How can social sustainability be systematically assessed and achieved in agri-food systems? Effectively achieving social sustainability within the context of resource scarcity is arguably the most intricate aspect of the broader sustainability paradigm. This complexity arises not only from the inherently abstract nature of social constructs and the diverse, often subjective, indicators that define social well-being but also from the prevailing urgency associated with addressing environmental sustainability challenges. This urgency often overshadows social considerations, relegating them to a secondary priority despite their critical importance. This dissertation refocuses the debate on social sustainability, seeking to advance its systematic assessment and explore the causal mechanisms and enabling factors behind its achievement. It focuses on identifying pathways to realize social sustainability in agri-food systems while balancing environmental and economic goals—ensuring environmental protection and economic welfare do not come at the cost of equity or human livelihoods. This dissertation employs a structured, three-pronged approach to advance the understanding of social sustainability in agri-food systems. It consists of (i) a systematic literature review, (ii) an empirical analysis using statistical modelling, and (iii) an empirical analysis based on case study research. As a result, the dissertation first identifies a comprehensive set of social sustainability indicators and develops analytical frameworks for their selection and application in empirical research. Second, nexus thinking is applied to demonstrate that key social sustainability outcomes, such as food security, depend not only on optimal resource management (e.g., land use) but also on social factors, including tenure rights and effective governance. Third, the dissertation identifies two key enablers of social sustainability in agricultural interventions: (1) cultural alignment with the local context and (2) a holistic design that integrates training, infrastructure, and pre-financing mechanisms. Together, these contributions enhance our understanding of how to systematically assess and achieve social sustainability in agri-food systems. They also lay the groundwork for incorporating social sustainability factors—including food security, governance, institutions, and cultural aspects—into the conceptualization of an optimal resource nexus within agri-food systems.
- Verweis
- Integrating the social perspective into the sustainability assessment of agri-food systems: a review of indicators
DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2023.05.014 - Exploring the resource nexus between forest-based land restoration and food security: The case of the African great green wall initiative countries
DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2025.107499 - Organizational innovations and access to sustainable finance in agriculture: the case of Shea farmers in Ghana
DOI: 10.1080/14735903.2025.2469284 - Freie Schlagwörter (EN)
- Agriculture, Sustainability, Social Sustainability, Land
- Klassifikation (DDC)
- 634
- Klassifikation (RVK)
- ZC 73810
- GutachterIn
- Prof. Dr. Edeltraud Günther
- Prof. Ismail M. Moumouni
- Dr. Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi
- BetreuerIn Hochschule / Universität
- Prof. Dr. Edeltraud Günther
- BetreuerIn - externe Einrichtung
- Dr. Sabrina Kirschke
- Den akademischen Grad verleihende / prüfende Institution
- Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden
- Förder- / Projektangaben
- BASF SE The role of monetary and other specific aspects in sustainability measurement and assessment
- Sonstige beteiligte Institution
- United Nations University, Dresden
- Version / Begutachtungsstatus
- publizierte Version / Verlagsversion
- URN Qucosa
- urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa2-983823
- Veröffentlichungsdatum Qucosa
- 03.09.2025
- Dokumenttyp
- Dissertation
- Sprache des Dokumentes
- Englisch
- Lizenz / Rechtehinweis
CC BY 4.0- Inhaltsverzeichnis
Summary Acknowledgements Acronyms and Abbreviations I. Framework paper 1. Introduction 1.1 Problem statement 1.2 Approaching the problem 2. Research objectives and questions 3. Methodology 3.1 Systematic Literature Review 3.2 Empirical analyses 3.3 Scale of analysis and additional contributions 4. Results 4.1 Paper 1: Systematising social sustainability indicators 4.2 Paper 2: Social sustainability at national level 4.3 Paper 3: Social sustainability at community level 5. Discussion & future research 6. Conclusion References II. Published research papers