Commissioned by GIZ and managed by GOPA Worldwide Consultants, this project assessed the adoption and impact of salt-tolerant potato and sweet potato varieties to strengthen food system resilience in saline-prone southern Bangladesh.
Southern Bangladesh plays a critical role in the country’s food security but faces increasing threats from climate change, including rising soil salinity and extreme weather events. These environmental stressors have led to declining crop yields and heightened food insecurity, particularly for smallholder farmers. In response, the International Potato Center, in collaboration with the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, developed salt-tolerant potato and bio-fortified orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties designed to perform in saline conditions. These new varieties were introduced in women-owned home gardens and accompanied by nutrition education and food demonstrations using the Community Nutrition Scholar model.
Our experts conducted a combined adoption and impact assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of salt-tolerant potato and bio-fortified orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties as well as improved potato varieties. We explored (dis-)adoption dynamics and potential spillover effects, alongside smallholders’ perceptions, decision-making processes, and constraints to adoption.
The impact assessment employed a retrospective quasi-experimental design, based on the intervention’s implementation from 2018 to 2020. Treatment and control groups were established through desk research, survey data analysis, and consultations with key stakeholders. A mixed-methods approach combined household surveys with focus group discussions and key informant interviews, generating both quantitative and qualitative insights.
The assessment provided evidence on how the adoption of salt-tolerant varieties influenced household diets, productivity, and income. It also identified key adoption pathways and barriers, offering valuable lessons for scaling climate-resilient and nutrition-sensitive agricultural innovations in similar contexts.
Find out more about the project here.
In close collaboration with Rufis e.V., HFFA Research conducted a study to assess the region’s innovation capacity across the agricultural value chain for Bayer Crop Science Deutschland GmbH
The agri-food sector globally is under pressure to respond to evolving societal demands, shifting market conditions, and the need for greater sustainability and resilience. These dynamics require continuous innovation, not only within primary agricultural production but across related upstream and downstream industries. Against this backdrop, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), one of Germany’s key agricultural regions, sought to understand its current innovation landscape and future potential.
HFFA Research conducted a comprehensive analysis to evaluate the innovation potential of NRW’s agricultural sector and broader agri-business cluster. The study included:
The study highlights a well-developed innovation infrastructure in NRW with strong academic and research capacities, though challenges remain in coordination and targeted policy support. The findings point to significant opportunities for strengthening the innovation ecosystem, particularly through integrated strategies across the entire value chain.
HFFA Research GmbH contributed to the first comprehensive analysis of how the Community Plant Variety Rights (CPVR) system supports sustainability, productivity, and economic resilience in the European Union, in collaboration with EUIPO and the CPVO.
As the EU pursues ambitious goals under the European Green Deal, agriculture is under pressure to cut emissions, reduce chemical inputs, and maintain high productivity—all amid growing concerns over food security and geopolitical instability. Crop innovation is essential to meet these demands, and the Community Plant Variety Rights (CPVR) system plays a pivotal role in incentivizing such innovation. However, until recently, its economic and environmental contributions had not been fully quantified.
Commissioned by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), HFFA Research GmbH led key components of a joint impact study with the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO). The HFFA Research team developed the methodological framework, reviewed relevant literature, and conducted a detailed quantitative analysis of impacts on farmers and growers. Their findings informed the publication “Impact of the Community Plant Variety Rights System on the EU Economy and the Environment”, released in April 2022.
The study demonstrated the CPVR system’s significant benefits:
Without CPVR-protected varieties, EU production in 2020 would have been lower by 6.4% (arable crops), 4.7% (vegetables), 2.6% (fruit), and 15.1% (ornamentals).
Annual GHG emissions were reduced by an estimated 62 million tons—comparable to the national emissions of countries like Hungary or Ireland.
The system supports nearly 90,000 additional jobs across agriculture and horticulture.
Over 90% of CPVR holders are SMEs, underscoring its importance for innovation among smaller breeders.
The study was launched at a CPVO-hosted policy seminar during France’s EU Council Presidency, drawing wide participation from policymakers, academia, and the breeding sector. The recordings are available on the CPVO YouTube Channel.
Legal notification: Kindly note that the opinions expressed hereby are those of HFFA Research GmbH only and do not necessarily represent the EUIPO’s or CPVO’s official position.
Developed with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) for Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Bolivia, this project supported decision-makers in Bolivia in prioritizing climate adaptation investments in the water and agriculture sectors.
Bolivia faces increasing climate risks, including shifts in temperature, precipitation, and crop productivity. To support national adaptation planning, this project combines climate impact modeling with the evaluation of concrete adaptation options, aiming to guide investments by government and development partners.
Focusing on the climate action dimension of the project, our team conducted a cost-benefit analysis of five adaptation measures across the departments of Tarija and Santa Cruz. These include:
Switching from maize to grape cultivation
Improved water dam operation and management
Introducing supplementary irrigation systems
Forest restoration
Enhancing grass and feed quality for cattle
These measures were assessed for their cost-effectiveness in reducing climate-related risks and supporting sustainable agricultural development.
Our results highlight which strategies offer the best returns on investment under climate stress, enabling targeted policy and funding decisions. This contributes to a prioritized adaptation roadmap for the water and agriculture sectors in Bolivia.
Developed for the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Sector Project “Soil Conservation, Combatting Desertification, Sustainable Land Management” (SV BoDeN) in cooperation with the GIZ Global Project “ProSoil”, this project delivers practical guidance to enhance the impact of SLM through tailored incentive schemes.
Sustainable Land Management is essential for achieving key Sustainable Development Goals, including Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Life on Land (SDG 15). Yet farmers operate under complex pressures—from global market forces to environmental degradation and climate stress—making long-term soil stewardship a challenging endeavor. Development cooperation actors face the critical task of designing incentive systems that align short-term farmer needs with long-term sustainability goals.
HFFA Research supported GIZ by developing a practical guide to help project managers design and implement context-specific incentive strategies for SLM. The “Guide to Identify Context-Specific Sets of Incentives for Scaling Up Sustainable Land Management” was built on a comprehensive review of existing literature and was refined through stakeholder workshops with GIZ project staff.
The guide organizes incentives into five key fields of action:
Land Governance
Trade Regulations, Tax, and Subsidy Systems
Market Structure and Development
Finance and Risk Management
SLM Technologies and Methodologies
Accompanied by practical working materials, the guide equips GIZ teams to navigate diverse project environments and motivate stakeholders to adopt sustainable practices—despite delayed productivity gains.
The project culminated in a discussion paper offering strategic recommendations and opened space within GIZ for expanded dialogue and future initiatives on scaling SLM. The tools developed are now part of GIZ’s internal resources for promoting land and soil sustainability in development cooperation.
Commissioned by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), HFFA Research supports the strategic evaluation and further development of bilateral agricultural cooperation projects in multiple partner countries.
Germany’s agri-food sector is widely recognized for its innovation and sustainability, attracting strong international interest in bilateral knowledge exchange. Through its Bilateral Cooperation Programme, BMEL facilitates long-term partnerships to share German expertise and foster sustainable agricultural development abroad. To ensure the continued effectiveness and relevance of these partnerships, robust external evaluations and forward-looking project designs are essential.
HFFA Research has been repeatedly contracted to provide independent evaluations of ongoing and completed BMEL cooperation projects. Our work involves assessing the projects’ effectiveness, identifying areas for improvement, and offering strategic recommendations for future cooperation or follow-up initiatives. Evaluation findings inform not only project-specific adjustments but also broader decisions within BMEL’s international engagement strategy. Recently, our role has expanded to include contributions to the Programme’s climate component, where we analyze climate change impacts on agricultural production systems in partner countries.
Evaluations have covered a diverse set of bilateral projects in countries such as China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Russia.
HFFA Research’s insights support more tailored, impactful project designs and help align cooperation activities with local needs and conditions.
Our contributions to the climate component strengthen BMEL’s capacity to integrate climate resilience into future agricultural partnerships.
Commissioned by WWF Germany and authored by HFFA Research, this study examines how German consumption patterns—particularly meat-heavy diets and food waste—contribute to global agricultural land expansion, and explores how shifts toward healthier diets and responsible food handling can reduce land pressure and environmental impact.
One-third of the world’s land is already used for livestock production, a share that continues to grow alongside rising global meat demand. This trend accelerates habitat loss and biodiversity decline, especially in regions like Brazil and Argentina, where soy cultivation for animal feed fuels land conversion. Germany’s dietary and food waste habits play a significant role in this global land use footprint.
The study quantifies Germany’s per capita agricultural land use and evaluates the international implications of food imports, especially soy for livestock feed. It also analyses the land savings potential from behavioural changes—specifically, reduced meat consumption and lower rates of consumer food waste.
Each German uses approximately 2,900 m² of agricultural land annually, with 2,300 m² allocated to food production.
Germany relies on 6.8 million hectares of agricultural land abroad, including 2.5 million hectares in Brazil and Argentina for soy imports.
Annual consumer food waste in Germany amounts to 6.6 million tonnes, or 80 kg per person.
Skipping meat once per week could free up 595,000 hectares—twice the size of Saarland.
Combined improvements in diet and food waste reduction could lower each German’s land footprint by over 500 m².