Phd on social-cultural perspectives on water retention by farmers

Are you an ambitious researcher who wants to investigate how Dutch farmers can contribute to the important challenge of (climate robust) water management? Do you like to collaborate with other researchers and societal stakeholders in a highly interdisciplinary research project, and want to make an impact?

We are looking for A PhD student on social-cultural perspective on water retention by farmers. In the era of increased climate change, water is becoming an increasingly influential factor for agriculture. Droughts, salinity intrusion, limited supply from groundwater or surface water increasingly occur in different agro-ecological regions of the Netherlands. How do farmers and water managers in the Netherlands respond to all this?

In this research project you will investigate the tensions and opportunities in the agriculture-water domain in the context of increased climate change and rezoning of agriculture in the Netherlands. You will specifically focus on (regional) collective choices versus individual (farmer) decisions while distinguishing pro-active and reactive actions. You will combine interviews, questionnaires, and (geo)statistical analyses to answer this questions. In the end your study will lead to clear recommendations for policymakers how to engage farmers in water retention in order to make the country more robust to climate change. Case studies have not yet been defined, we therefore welcome innovative research ideas in the application procedure.

This PhD study will have high academic impact as well as high societal relevance. You will collaborate with stakeholders such as farmers, provincial policymakers, water authorities, and with other PhD students working on similar projects. In addition, you are expected to conduct interviews and organize focus groups with farmers. The project is a collaboration between the Water Resource Management (WRM) Group and the Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning (LSP) group at Wageningen University. Do you want to know more about our groups? Check out our page with news, recent publications and projects.