Dr. Martijn Sonnevelt
Dr. Martijn Sonnevelt
Lecturer at the Department of Environmental Systems Science
Additional information
Course Catalogue
Spring Semester 2025
| Number | Unit |
|---|---|
| 751-0025-00L | Design ideas for sustainable food systems |
| 751-1652-00L | Food Security - From the Global to the Local Dimension |
Curriculum Vitae
Education
2007-2010
PhD student in the Agri-food and Agri-environmental Economics Group at ETH Zurich
Certificate in Spatial Information Systems at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zurich (12 ETC Points)
2000-2006
Studies in Agricultural Science at ETH Zurich; Diploma with specialization in Agricultural Economics;
Diploma thesis titled: Limiting factors and potential for development of agricultural sector and dairy sector in Armenia (2 ½ months research stay in Armenia)
2000
Eidgenössische Matura in Bern
Experience
Since 2011
Post-doc in the Agri-food and Agri-environmental Economics Group at ETH Zurich
2008-2011
Project coordinator for the interdisciplinary ETH North South Center research project "Reversing soil degradation by tropical legume trees using GIS analysis"
2006-2011
Research assistant in the Agri-food and Agri-environmental Economics Group at ETH Zurich
2004 July - October
Internship on an agricultural enterprise near Yerevan, Armenia
2002 April - September
Farm internship in the French speaking part of Switzerland
Referee activities
Contributed papers for the EAAE Congress 2008 and 2011
Organization of seminars/workshops
Co-organization PhD seminar „Bounded Rationality and Anomalies“ of Agri-food & Agri-environmental Economics Group, ETH Zurich, March 05-06,
Co-organization PhD seminar "Methoden der Agrarökonomie" of Agri-food & Agri-environmental Economics Group, ETH Zurich, March 23-24, 2006
Research Areas:
- Agricultural Economics
- Development Economics from Household to Meso-economic Level
- Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction
Research activities:
- Analysis of global Grain-Value-Chain
- Global food security challenges
- Development Economics , Sustainable development
- System Dynamics
Projects:
Ongoing
Global Grain-Value-Chain Project (2011-2013)
Ananlysis of future changes and their driving forces of the global grain sector
Facors influencing household nutritional status in relation to increasing food prices in Sri Lanka
Completed
PhD - Project within the ETH North South Center Project: Reversing soil degradation by tropical legume trees using GIS analysis (2007-2010)
Theme of the dissertation: Analyses of actions based on the strategic and operational decision field. How do aims and obejctive on the strategic level influence decisions? What are the challenges and chances on the operational level? How do household endowment as well as monetary and physical & resources influence farmer's action?
Determination of factors affecting smallholder decisions to incorporate sustainable production practices depending on their objectives, strategies and household characteristics as well as the actual and perceived benefits of a particular sustainable production practice like the introduction of Gliricidia sepium.
Analysis of economic performance of smallholder farm households and their senitivity to changes in the macroeconomic environment
Methods:
Interviews on perception and knowledge on soil quality and degradation
A one year lasting survey on production and consumption patterns as well as flows of cash and goods within the households and their environment
Experimental utility assessment interview
System dynamics modelling of different smallholder farm household types (MA - households with market oriented agricultural production,
BO - business-oriented households, OF - off-farm labor-oriented households, SS - self-sufficiency-oriented households)
Different projects on behalf of Swiss food processing companies (2006 / 2007)
The global Cotton market - future developments and challenges (2010)
Publications:
Sonnevelt, M., 2011: Understanding actions and driving forces of smallholder farm households - An economic case study from the Sri Lankan hill-country. Diss.ETH No.19467
Fuhrer, J.; Calanca, P.; Defila, C.; Forrer, H.-R.; Lehmann, B.; Luder, W.; Müller-Ferch, G.; Münger, A.; Sonnevelt, M.; Uebersax, A., 2007: Landwirtschaft in: OcCC / ProClim (Hrsg.) Klimaänderungen und die Schweiz 2050. Erwartete Auswirkungen auf die Umwelt, Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft. Bern, 41-53.
Conference:
KRMU, B., Eisenbeiss, H., Sonnevelt. M., Egodawatte, Ch., 2008: Model tropical legume trees for reversing soil degradation as a solution for increasing rural farmers’ income by GIS analysis: A Case Study- Meegahakivula, Sri Lanka.
The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. Vol. XXXVII. Part B2, Beijing, China, pp. 581-586.