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

Aremu, O., Illien, P., Olajide, A.O., and Meemken, E.-M. (forthcoming): Contract labour, job quality and turnover intention—Evidence from Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Economics.

Illien, P.,  Asiedu, E., Farby, A., Acheampong, C.O.K., Ntiri-Ateseh, L., and Meemken, E.-M. (forthcoming): An extended and relational photovoice design: Methodological reflections. International Journal of Qualitative Methods.

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

Aremu, O., Fabry, A., and 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., and Meemken, E-M., 2024. Farmer Protests in Europe 2023-2024. Euro Choices. https://doi.org/10.1111/1746-692X.12452

Stemmler, H. and 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., and 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. and 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., and Vargas, C. 2022: Research and policy for the food-delivery revolution. Science. 810-813, 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., and 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., and Barrett, C.B. 2021: Post-farmgate food value chains make up most of consumer food expenditures globally. Nature Food. doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00279-9

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

Sellare, J., Meemken, E.-M., and Qaim, M. 2020: Fairtrade, agrochemical input use, and effects on human health and the environment. Ecological Economics. 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. 100373. 10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100373. 

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

Sellare, J., Meemken, E.-M., Kouame, C.N., and 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. doi:10.1111/ajae.12015

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

Meemken, E.-M. and Qaim, M., 2018. Can private food standards promote gender equality in the small farm sector? Journal of Rural Studies. 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.12.030.

Meemken, E.-M. and 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., and Qaim, M., 2017:. Trading off nutrition and education? A panel data analysis of the dissimilar welfare effects of Organic and Fairtrade standards. Food Policy. 10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.07.010.

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

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)