Part of the working group on Adaptation in Agricultural Systems, Sophia's research focuses on socio-economic perspectives on adaptation strategies for (smallholder) farmers. With a background in development economics and value chain management, she applies both qualitative and quantitative social-scientific methods, prioritizing robust survey and interview designs as the foundation of high-quality data. With her research she aims to identify promising adaptation strategies to climate change in agri-food systems, and the impacts of these strategies on issues such as food security, income and wellbeing.
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14412 Potsdam
ORCID
BSc. International Development Studies - Specialisation Development Economics - Wageningen University, NL, 2014
MSc. International Development Studies - Specialisation Development Economics - Wageningen University, NL, 2017
PhD: Crop up! Adoption and value chain organisation in crop diversification transitions - Wageningen University, NL, 2022
Hampf, A., Weituschat, C.S., Murken, L., Rasolofo, L.I., Gornott, C. Climate change impacts on crop yields across Madagascar and household-informed adaptation strategies (2026) Agricultural Systems, 238, 104834, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2026.104834.
Weituschat, C.S., Pascucci, S., Materia, V., Caracciolo, F. Can contract farming support sustainable intensification in agri-food value chains? (2023) Ecological Economics, 211, 107876.
Weituschat, C.S., Pascucci, S., Materia, V.C. et al. Goal frames and sustainability transitions: how cognitive lock-ins can impede crop diversification. (2022). Sustainability Science, 17, 2203–2219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-022-01156-5
Weituschat, C.S., Pascucci, S., Materia, V., Blasi, E. Understanding the role of value chain formation in the scaling of crop diversification (2023), Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 43, 25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-023-00866-z
Ton, G., Vellema, W., Desiere, S., Weituschat, S., & D'Haese, M. Contract farming for improving smallholder incomes: What can we learn from effectiveness studies? (2018). World Development, 104, 46-64.
AgrImpact - Evaluating the impact of agroecological practices on farm system resilience in Madagascar
AJusT - A just transition in agriculture and food systems through agroecological practices
