My research focuses on understanding how farmers navigate the challenges in a rapidly changing agricultural landscape. Specifically, by investigating combining insights from different disciplines, including agricultural economics, risk research, resilience thinking, and sustainability science. I believe that a comprehensive understanding of these complex concepts requires a blend of both qualitative and quantitative methods, ranging from semi-structured interviews and focus groups to multivariate statistics and econometrics.
Ongoing research focuses on (i) how crop-livestock integration can improve the productivity and resilience of farms, (ii) the role of collective actions in shaping sustainability enhancing polices, (iii) an open-access tool to estimate farm-level greenhouse gas emissions and their relationship to long-term farm viability, sustainability and resilience using FADN, and (iv) the role of knowledge in the adoption of different portfolios of sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) are adopted.
Projects:
2021-2025: FORMAS – SustAnimal: collaborative research centre exploring the future role of livestock in sustainable and competitive Swedish food production systems. http://sustainimal.se/
Thomas is one of the teachers of the course Topics in agricultural economics for sustainable development
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Niyonsaba, H.H., J. Höhler, H.J. van der Fels–Klerx, T. Slijper, F. Alleweldt, S. Kara, R. Zanoli, A.I.A. Costa, M. Peters, M.P.M. Meuwissen (2023). Barriers, risks and risk management strategies in European insect supply chains. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 9 (6): 691-705. https://doi.org/10.3920/JIFF2022.0100
Slijper, T., Y. de Mey, P.M. Poortvliet, M.P.M. Meuwissen (2022). Quantifying the resilience of European farms using FADN. European Review of Agricultural Economics 49(1) 121-150. https://doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbab042
Slijper, T., J. Urquhart, P. M. Poortvliet, B. Soriano, M.P.M. Meuwissen (2022). Exploring how social capital and learning are related to the resilience of Dutch arable farmers. Agricultural Systems 198: 103385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2022.103385
Meuwissen, M. P. M., P.H. Feindt, T. Slijper, A. Spiegel et al. (2021). Impact of Covid-19 on farming systems in Europe through the lens of resilience thinking. Agricultural Systems 191: 103152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103152
Spiegel, A., T. Slijper, Y. de Mey, M.P.M. Meuwissen et al. (2021). Resilience capacities as perceived by European farmers. Agricultural Systems. 193: 103224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103224
Slijper, T. (2020). Resilience, Labour and Migration Trends in the EU‐27. EuroChoices 19(2): 28-29. https://doi.org/10.1111/1746-692x.12281
Slijper, T., Y. de Mey, P.M. Poortvliet, M.P.M. Meuwissen (2020). From risk behavior to perceived farm resilience: A Dutch case study. Ecology and Society 25(4). https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11893-250410
Spiegel, A., B. Soriano, Y. de Mey, T. Slijper, J. Urquhart, I. Bardaji, M. Vigani, S. Severini, and M.P.M. Meuwissen (2020). Risk Management and its Role in Enhancing Perceived Resilience Capacities of Farms and Farming Systems in Europe. EuroChoices 19(2): 45-53. https://doi.org/10.1111/1746-692X.12284
Meuwissen, M.P.M., P.H. Feindt, A. Spiegel, C.J.A.M. Termeer, E. Mathijs, Y. de Mey, R. Finger, A. Balmann, E. Wauters, J. Urquhart, M. Vigani, K. Zawalińska, H. Herrera, P. Nicholas-Davies, H. Hansson, W. Paas, T. Slijper, I. Coopmans, W. Vroege, F. Accatino, B. Kopainsky, P. M. Poortvliet, J.J.L. Candel, D. Maye, S. Severini, S. Senni, B. Soriano, C.-J. Lagerkvist, M. Peneva, C. Gavrilescu, P. Reidsma (2019). A framework to assess the resilience of farming systems. Agricultural Systems 176: 102656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2019.102656
Book chapters
Finger, R., W. Vroege, A. Spiegel, Y. de Mey, T. Slijper, P.M. Poortvliet, J. Urquhart, M. Vigani, P. Nicholas-Davies, B. Soriano, A. Garrido, S. Severini, M.P.M. Meuwissen (2022). The importance of improving and enlarging the scope of risk management to enhance resilience in European agriculture. In Meuwissen, M.P.M., P.H. Feindt, A. Garrido, E. Mathijs, B. Soriano, J. Urquhart, A. Spiegel. (eds), Resilient and Sustainable Farming Systems in Europe: Exploring Diversity and Pathways (pp. 18-37). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009093569.003
Soriano, B., I. Bardají, Y. Buitenhuis, D. Bertolozzi-Caredio, J. Candel, P. H. Feindt, M.P.M. Meuwissen, W. Paas, P. Reidsma, C. San Martín, T. Slijper, A. Spiegel, A. Garrido (2022). Lessons learned from a multi-scale co-creation approach: Virtual co-creation platform and real life focus groups. In Meuwissen, M.P.M., P.H. Feindt, A. Garrido, E. Mathijs, B. Soriano, J. Urquhart, A. Spiegel. (eds), Resilient and Sustainable Farming Systems in Europe: Exploring Diversity and Pathways (pp. 321-341). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009093569.020
Spiegel, A., P. Reidsma, Y. Buitenhuis, T. Slijper, W. Paas, Y. de Mey, P.H. Feindt, J. Candel, P.M. Poortvliet, M.P.M Meuwissen (2022). Realising transformation in response to future challenges. In Meuwissen, M.P.M., P.H. Feindt, A. Garrido, E. Mathijs, B. Soriano, J. Urquhart, A. Spiegel. (eds), Resilient and Sustainable Farming Systems in Europe: Exploring Diversity and Pathways (pp. 201-214). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009093569.013