About me

I'm an agricultural economist, Assistant Professor, and Chair of the Food Systems Economics and Policy at ETH-Zurich in the Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS). I studied in Germany (Universities of Kassel and Hohenheim), Mexico (University of Yucatán), and the USA (Purdue). I hold a Ph.D. from the University of Göttingen (Germany) and was a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell and Minnesota (USA) and an Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen (IFRO). For further information, please see my CV.

My research 

My research group and I focus on how policy, institutions, and technology can address pressing social challenges in global food systems. Our work contributes to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly decent work (SDG 8), gender equality (SDG 5), no poverty (SDG 1), good health and well-being (SDG 3), and responsible production and consumption (SDG 12).

Our research does not focus only on farmers, but also on food system actors who often receive less attention, especially workers, cooperatives, traders, restaurants, and agrifood-tech startups.

Our central research question is how social sustainability can be improved, and how trade-offs between social and environmental sustainability can be addressed. To this end, we study the role of public policies (such as minimum wages), private standards (including Fairtrade, Organic, and Rainforest Alliance), collective action (for example through farmer cooperatives or worker unions), and technology (such as greenhouses, crop breeding, biopesticides, and artificial intelligence).

We employ both quantitative and qualitative methods and use primary and secondary data. Our primary data collection includes surveys, experiments, focus group discussions, expert interviews, and photovoice projects.

Our research topics are inherently global and relevant to both higher-income and lower-income countries. Currently, we work across Africa, Europe, and Asia to capture diverse contexts while also generating broadly applicable insights. Our current focus countries include Uganda, Malawi, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Vietnam, and Switzerland.

Overall, our work is closely aligned with the international development agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and it is highly relevant for agricultural, labor, migration, and social policy worldwide.

Publications

Chandra, A., Grabs, J., Meemken, E.M., Hidayat, N.K., Dharmawan, A.H., Mardiyaningsih, D.I., Garrett, R.D. (forthcoming). Zero-deforestation commitment implementation in the Indonesian palm oil sector does not reach smallholders. Nature Sustainability

Boonaert, E., Meemken, E.-M., & Maertens, M. (2026). Certified and stable? Price and yield volatility under voluntary sustainability standards in Peru. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.70079

Chandra, A., Grabs, J., Meemken, E.-M., & Garrett, R. D. (2026). Relational aspects and care-based support in Zero-Deforestation Commitments. PLOS Sustainability and Transformation. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000235

Aremu, O., Illien, P., Olajide, A.O., & Meemken, E.-M. (2026). Contract labour, job quality and turnover intention—Evidence from Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Economics. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.70028

Illien, P., Asiedu, E., Farby, A., Acheampong, C.O.K., Ntiri-Ateseh, L., & Meemken, E.-M. (2026). An extended and relational photovoice design: Methodological reflections. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069261421311

Meemken, E.-M., Aremu, O., Fabry, A., Heepen, C., Illien, P., Laitha, A., & Kammer, M. (2025). Policy for decent work in agriculture. Agricultural Economics. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.70009

Aremu, O., Fabry, A., & Meemken, E.-M. (2024). Farm size and the quality and quantity of jobs—Insights from Nigeria. Food Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2024.102731

Meemken, E.-M., Charlton, D., Maertens, M., Oya, C., Reardon, T., Christiaensen, L., & Stemmler, H. (2024). Better data for decent work in the global food system. Nature Food. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-01002-0  

Meemken, E.-M., Becker-Reshef, I., Klerkx, L., Kloppenburg, S., Wegner, J.D., & Finger, R. (2024). Digital innovations for monitoring sustainability in food systems. Nature Food. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-01018-6  

Finger, R., Fabry, A., Kammer, M., Candel, J., Dalhaus, T., &  Meemken, E-M.  (2024). Farmer Protests in Europe 2023-2024. Euro Choices. https://doi.org/10.1111/1746-692X.12452

Stemmler, H. & Meemken, E-M. (2023). Greenhouse farming and employment: Evidence from Ecuador. Food Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102443   

Sellare J., Jäckering, L., Kahsay, G., & Meemken, E.-M. (2023). Five myths about producer organizations and rural development. Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.  https://doi.org/10.1002/jaa2.70  

Machio, P.M. & Meemken, E.-M. (2023). Women’s participation in contract farming. Journal of Development Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2023.2188109

Meemken, E.-M., Bellemare, M.F., Reardon, T., & Vargas, C. (2022): Research and policy for the food-delivery revolution. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo2182

Sellare, J., Börner, J., Brugger, F., Garrett, R., Günther, I., Meemken, E.-M., Pelli, E.M., Steinhübel, L., & Wuepper, D. (2022). Six research priorities to support corporate due-diligence policies. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01718-8  

Meemken, E.-M., Barrett, C.B., Michelson, H.C., Qaim, M.; Reardon, T., & Sellare, J. (2021). The role of sustainability standards in global agrifood supply chains. Nature Food. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00360-3

Meemken, E.-M. (2021): Large farms, large benefits? Sustainability certification among family farms and agro-industrial producers in Peru. World Development. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105520  

Yi, J., Meemken, E.-M., Mazariegos, V., Liu, J., Kim, E., Gómez, M., Canning, P., & Barrett, C.B. (2021). Post-farmgate food value chains make up most of consumer food expenditures globally. Nature Food. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00279-9

Jäckering, L, Meemken, E.-M., Sellare, J., & Qaim, M. (2021). Promoting written employment contracts: Evidence from a randomized awareness campaign. European Review of Agricultural Economics. https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbaa035

Sellare, J., Meemken, E.-M., & Qaim, M. (2020). Fairtrade, agrochemical input use, and effects on human health and the environment. Ecological Economics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106718

Meemken, E.-M. (2020). Do smallholder farmers benefit from sustainability standards? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Global Food Security. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100373

Meemken, E.-M. & Bellemare, M.F. (2020). Smallholder farmers and contract farming in developing countries. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1909501116

Sellare, J., Meemken, E.-M., Kouame, C.N., & Qaim, M. (2019). Do sustainability standards benefit smallholder farmers also when accounting for cooperative effects? Evidence from Cote d’Ivoire. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajae.12015

Meemken, E.-M., Sellare, J., Kouame, C.N., & Qaim, M. (2019). Effects of Fairtrade on the livelihoods of poor rural workers. Nature Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0311-5

Meemken, E.-M. & Qaim, M. (2018). Can private food standards promote gender equality in the small farm sector? Journal of Rural Studies. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.12.030

Meemken, E.-M. & Qaim, M. (2018) Organic agriculture, food security, and the environment. Annual Review of Resource Economics. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-100517-023252

Meemken, E.-M., Spielman, D.J., & Qaim, M. (2017). Trading off nutrition and education? A panel data analysis of the dissimilar welfare effects of Organic and Fairtrade standards. Food Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.07.010

Meemken, E.-M., Veettil, P.C., & Qaim, M. (2017). Toward improving the design of sustainability standards – A gendered analysis of farmers’ preferences. World Development. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.05.021

Work in progress

Aremu, O., Maertens., M., and Meemken, E.-M. When agricultural labor markets function—and when they fail: Lessons from Nigeria

Dahl, H., Otieno, W., Peterson, N., Klerkx, K., Meemken, E.-M. “It is easier to invest in people that look like you, act like you, talk like you”: Investment patterns in Africa’s agrifoodtech startup ecosystem

Fabry, A., Aremu, O., and Meemken, E.-M.: Labor shortages and food loss (submitted to xxxx date)

Fabry, A., Freihardt, J., Koubi, V., and Meemken, E.-M. Climate events, migration, and subjective wellbeing—evidence from rural Bangladesh

Fabry, A., Illien, P., Oya, C., and Meemken, E.-M.: Measuring working conditions in agriculture

Heepen, C., Illien, P., and Meemken, E.-M. Labour matching as a social process: a grounded theory study of how farmers and workers mobilise labour in Swiss viticulture

Heepen, C. & Meemken, E.-M.: Hard-to-reach workers, hard-to-fill data gaps: lessons from web-based respondent-driven sampling in Swiss horticulture

Illien, P., Aremu, O., Jann, B., and Meemken, E.-M.: Agricultural labor and drug use–Insights from list experiments in Nigeria (submitted to 01/2025) https://ideas.repec.org//p/bss/wpaper/62.html

Illien, P., Asiedu, E., Fabry, A., Abraham-Mumuni, R., Acheampong, C. O. K., Ntiri-Ateseh, L., and Meemken, E.-M. Work and the prospects for collective action in Accra’s informal food service sector: a photovoice study

Jacobi, J., Späth, L., Migeri, S., Meemken, E.-M., Frossard., E., & Six, J.: Stakeholder involvement in agricultural research—lessons learned from Africa

Jouvin, M., Oberlack, C., & Meemken, E.-M. Governing sustainability data: evidence from the cocoa value chain in Côte d'Ivoire

Kammer, M., Dalheimer, B., Meemken, E.-M. Minimum wages and agricultural trade

Kammer, M., Wimmer, S., Meemken, E.-M.: How do minimum wages affect farm profitability? 

Kammer, M. Nath#, V., Pfister, S., and Meemken, E.-M. High-income countries lack labor to achieve greater domestic food self-sufficiency without migration

Laitha, A., Stemmler, H., Minten, B., and Meemken, E.-M.: Measuring agricultural wages amidst conflict: Evidence from Myanmar

Laitha, A., Fabry, A., Minten, B., and Meemken, E.-M.: Exposure to violence, mental health, and labor productivity: Evidence from Myanmar

Laitha, A., Fabry, A., Minten, B., and Meemken, E.-M. Conflict and wage disparities: Evidence from farm workers in Myanmar

Stemmler, H., Ruml, A., and Meemken, E.M. Contract farming and labor demand

Stetter, C., Fürholz, A., Meemken, E.-M., and Finger, R. Large-language-model-assisted analysis reveals struggles behind massive farmer protests in Europe

Other publications

Gómez, M., Meemken, E.-M., and Verteramo Chiu, L. Agricultural value chains and social and environmental impacts: trends, challenges, and policy options. Background paper for The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO) 2020. FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb0715en

Non-scientific publications and media

NPR

PBS Nova

Rural 21 Vol. 52 & 53

IFPRI blog 

Podcast series "Agrardebatten" (in German)

Interview with Danwatch (in Danish)

Agrarökonomische Kommentare zur Schweizerischen Agrarpolitik (in German)