鈥淪ustainable food systems require a rethinking of connections and interactions between the actors involved鈥�
Research focus: Policy and governance for reconciling food production, biodiversity recovery, environmental sustainability, and health
Hens Runhaar (1971) is Full Professor of Sustainable Food System Governance at Utrecht 木瓜福利影视.
Western food systems are highly productive but also face substantial sustainability challenges, including ongoing biodiversity loss, climate change, and diet-related diseases. These sustainability challenges find their origin in a series of connectivity problems, such as:
- A disconnect between food production and local and regional environmental conditions, resulting in pollution and biodiversity loss.
- A disconnect between food and feed production locations, leading to deforestation, climate change, and food insecurity.
- A disconnect between places where food is produced and where it is consumed, leading to an alienation of consumers with farmers and agricultural landscapes and their values.
- More generally, a disconnect between food prices and their societal costs, and a disconnect between actors that benefit from modern food systems and actors that are faced with their burdens.
In my research and education, understanding the existence and persistence of these connections is key for (re)designing sustainable food system governance: rethinking connections between food system actors. Many farmers for instance are limited in their choices about what to produce, where, how, and for whom due to their dependency on large agrifood companies (). Community Supported Agriculture in contrasts brings together farmers and consumers and enables more sustainable food production ().
I see as an important indicator of a sustainable food system. Therefore, I am very interested in (the scaling of) agroecology, regenerative agriculture, and 鈥榥ature-inclusive鈥� agriculture (see for definitions).
On 17 January 2025, I held my inaugural address, titled 鈥�Governing towards sustainable food systems: new connections for more diversity鈥� (click for the video).
Selected projects:
- COMBINED (funded by NWO): reconnecting grassland biodiversity and dairy farming for sustainability and climate resilience in the Netherlands.
- REWIRE (funded by NWO): leveraging new collaborations for circular agricultural missions in the Netherlands.
- (funded by STOWA): rethinking the governance of, and legal framework for, agriculture鈥檚 contribution to freshwater quality.
- (funded by INTERREG): innovative biodiversity for climate resilient dairy grasslands in the European North Sea Region.
Selected publications:
- Runhaar, H., S. van Doorm, L. Bello Cartagena, S. de Graaff, C. Offringa, L. van Oers, N. Pustilnik, E. Remorie, W. Lageweg and R. Raven (2025), , Environmental Science and Policy, 172, 104206.
- Runhaar, H. (2025), , International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 23 (1), 2475254.
- Bello Cartagena, L., D. Hegger, P. Tittonell and H. Runhaar (2025), , Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 49 (1), pp. 124-150.
- Runhaar H. and Y. Zinngrebe (2024; guest editors), , Earth System Governance.
- Vermunt, D.A., N. Wojtynia, M.P. Hekkert, J. van Dijk, R. Verburg, P.A. Verweij, M. Wassen and H. Runhaar (2022), , Agricultural Systems, 195, 103280.
Selected outreach activities:
- Interview , NRC, 27/28 April 2025.
- Participant meeting between scientists and representatives of the Ministerial Committee Economy & Nature, The Hague, 26 March 2025.
- , De Volkskrant online, 25 February 2025.
- Interview , De Volkskrant, 16 January 2025.
- Interview , EenVandaag, AvroTROS, 24 June 2024.
- Contribution to , Doe maar duurzaam, SBS6, 23-24 March 2024.
- Interview , Nieuwe Oogst, 24 November 2023.