Matin Qaim

Matin Qaim
Born (1969-12-20) December 20, 1969
Mainz, Germany
EducationUniversity of Bonn University of Kiel
Scientific career
WorkplacesUniversity of Bonn, University of Goettingen, University of Hohenheim
Joachim von Braun

Matin Qaim (born 20 December 1969, Mainz, Germany) is Schlegel Professor of Agricultural Economics and Director at the Center for Development Research (ZEF) of the University of Bonn, Germany.[1][2] His research focuses on issues of food security, food system transformation, and sustainable development.[1]

Qaim was elected as a Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2018[3] and as a Fellow of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) in 2019.[4] In 2024, he became President of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).[1][5]

Early life and education

Matin Qaim earned his MSc from the University of Kiel in 1996 and his doctoral degree in agricultural economics from the University of Bonn in 2000.[1] His doctoral supervisor was Joachim von Braun. Qaim did postdoctoral work at the University of California at Berkeley from 2001-2003. In 2003, he received his habilitation from the University of Bonn with his venia legendi in agricultural and development economics.[1]

Career

Qaim served as Professor of International Agricultural Trade and Food Security at the University of Hohenheim from 2004-2007. He was Professor of International Food Economics and Rural Development at the University of Goettingen from 2007-2021. He joined the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn, Germany, as Director in 2021.[1][3]

Research

Qaim specializes in food security, food system transformation, and sustainable development.[1] He is known for his meticulous analysis of the economics of agricultural biotechnology, connections of farmers to global value chains, and linkages between agriculture and nutrition.[6]

Qaim argues that higher-yield genetically modified crops can be used to reduce land usage and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.[7][8] He also supports the use of modified crops such as Golden Rice, which has a higher beta-carotene level than conventional rice, as a source of Vitamin A to address micronutrient malnutrition.[2][9] Qaim is a member of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board.[10]

Qaim recommends a balanced approach to sustainable consumption of meat and other animal-sourced foods. Pointing out that existing meat prices do not reflect their high environmental cost, Qaim calls for significant reductions in meat consumption in wealthy countries, where per capita consumption levels are high.[11][12] In poorer countries, where per capita consumption levels are much lower, improving access to animal-sourced foods can help improve healthy nutrition, especially among children.[13][14] Qaim also analyzes possible synergies and tradeoffs between the health and environmental dimensions of dietary change.[15]

In a related strain of research, Qaim analyzes links between the diversity of food systems and various planetary health outcomes. For instance, unlike often assumed, he argues that increasing the diversity of smallholder farms in Africa does not necessarily improve diets and nutrition.[16][17] While farm diversity is linked to nutrition in remote subsistence settings, improving smallholder access to markets and enhancing the functioning of markets for nutritious foods are generally more effective strategies to increase dietary quality and promote socioeconomic development.[18][19] Qaim is Director and Spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center (CRC 1780) "Food System Diversification for Sustainable Nutrition (FoodDiverse)" at the University of Bonn, which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and implemented jointly with the University of Ghana.[20]

Awards and honors (selection)

Selected publications

Books

  • Qaim, Matin (2000). Potential impacts of crop biotechnology in developing countries. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. ISBN 0-8204-4830-3.
  • Qaim, Matin; Krattiger, Anatole F.; von Braun, Joachim, eds. (2000). Agricultural biotechnology in developing countries: towards optimizing the benefits for the poor. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 0-7923-7230-1.
  • Qaim, Matin (2016). Genetically modified crops and agricultural development. Palgrave Studies in Agricultural Economics and Food Policy (AEFP). doi:10.1057/9781137405722. ISBN 978-1-349-95844-3.

Papers

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Matin Qaim". ZEF. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Pragmatist and a big coup: Matin Qaim receives Schlegel professorship at the University of Bonn". General-Anzeiger Bonn (in German). 1 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Prof. Dr. Matin Qaim". Leopoldina. 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Matin Qaim". Agricultural & Applied Economics Association. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "IAAE Board of Directors". IAAE Website. July 30, 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Matin Qaim". American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 102 (2): 382–383. March 2020. doi:10.1002/ajae.12022. ISSN 0002-9092. S2CID 242271887.
  7. ↑ Trambley, Sean (February 9, 2022). "RELEASE: New Research Shows Genetically Modified Crops Could…". The Breakthrough Institute. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  8. ↑ Kovak, Emma; Blaustein-Rejto, Dan; Qaim, Matin (1 July 2022). "Genetically modified crops support climate change mitigation". Trends in Plant Science. 27 (7): 627–629. Bibcode:2022TPS....27..627K. doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2022.01.004. ISSN 1360-1385. PMID 35148945.
  9. ↑ Kettenburg, Annika J.; Hanspach, Jan; Abson, David J.; Fischer, Joern (2018). "From disagreements to dialogue: unpacking the Golden Rice debate". Sustainability Science. 13 (5): 1469–1482. Bibcode:2018SuSc...13.1469K. doi:10.1007/s11625-018-0577-y. ISSN 1862-4065. PMC 6132390. PMID 30220919.
  10. ↑ "Humanitarian Board: Prof Matin Qaim". www.goldenrice.org. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "Meat consumption must fall by at least 75 percent". European Biotechnology. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  12. ↑ Holmes, Bob (18 August 2022). "How much meat can we eat — sustainably?". Knowable Magazine. Annual Reviews. doi:10.1146/knowable-081722-1. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  13. ↑ "Animal products improve child nutrition in Africa". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  14. ↑ Khonje, Makaiko G.; Qaim, Matin (2024-12-10). "Animal-sourced foods improve child nutrition in Africa". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121 (50) e2319009121. doi:10.1073/pnas.2319009121. PMC 11648637. PMID 39621913.
  15. ↑ Paris, Juliana Minetto Gellert; Nöthlings, Ute; Asante, Felix Ankomah; Qaim, Matin (2026-06-01). "The sustainability of diets in sub-Saharan Africa: Synergies and tradeoffs between human health and the environment". Sustainable Production and Consumption. 65: 215–227. doi:10.1016/j.spc.2026.04.007. ISSN 2352-5509.
  16. ↑ Sibhatu, K.; Krishna, V.; Qaim, M. (2015). "Production Diversity and Dietary Diversity in Smallholder Farm Households". PNAS. doi:10.1073/pnas.1510982112. PMC 4553771. PMID 26261342. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  17. ↑ Khonje, Makaiko G.; Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob; Muyanga, Milu; Qaim, Matin (2022-05-01). "Farm-level production diversity and child and adolescent nutrition in rural sub-Saharan Africa: a multicountry, longitudinal study". The Lancet Planetary Health. 6 (5): e391–e399. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00071-7. ISSN 2542-5196. PMID 35550078.
  18. ↑ Nguyen, Thanh-Tung; Qaim, Matin (2025). "Local and regional food production diversity are positively associated with household dietary diversity in rural Africa". Nature Food. 6 (2): 205–212. doi:10.1038/s43016-024-01096-6. ISSN 2662-1355. PMC 11850281. PMID 39748029.
  19. ↑ Ameye, Hannah; Hülsen, Vivien; Glatzel, Katrin; Laar, Amos; Qaim, Matin (2025-11-01). "Urbanizing food environments in Africa: Challenges and opportunities for improving accessibility, affordability, convenience, and desirability of healthy diets". Food Policy. 137 102981. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102981. ISSN 0306-9192.
  20. ↑ "University of Bonn Boosted by New Research Alliances". 15 May 2026.
  21. ↑ "Tilo Freiherr von Wilmowsky Honorary Award for Prof. Matin Qaim". University of Bonn Press Release. 20 May 2025.
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