Dr. Ronja Herzberg

Research Focus

• Agri-food geographies
• Circular economy
• Social and sustainability-oriented innovation
• Sustainability transitions
• Power and agency in global value chains and production networks

Background

After completing my studies in environmental science and geography, I earned my Ph.D. in agricultural sciences (through a collaboration between the Thünen Institute and Georg-August University of Göttingen) with a focus on food loss. In my dissertation, I examined the quantities, causes, and governance aspects of food loss in upstream fruit and vegetable value chains. In this context, the issue of power relations and the resulting shifts in economic risks among actors in the value chain also played a role. After completing my doctorate, I continued working at the Thünen Institute on a transdisciplinary, EU-wide project aimed at developing soil health business models in agriculture based on case studies. These business models were designed to ensure the provision of ecosystem services by the soil in an economically viable manner.

Current Research Interests

As part of my postdoctoral position in the “Geographical Resource and Environmental Conflict Research Division”, which I began in April 2026, I remain interested in resource-use conflicts within the agri-food system. In particular, I focus on power relations and their resulting effects on sustainability within global production networks for agricultural products. In addition to the agri-food sector, however, I also wish to address other current and relevant resource use conflicts and their geographical dimensions.