ABOUT US
The Agricultural Economics and Consumer Behaviour Lab at the Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Thessaly is to serve the educational, laboratory and research needs in the fields of Agricultural Economics and Consumer Behaviour.
More precisely, special focus has been given on optimizing inputs’ use efficiency of any given system either on a national or local level. Following Common Agricultural Policy (2023-2027) objectives, optimisation process embodies encironmental and social dimensions apart from the economic one. Contribution has also been made on evaluating the efficiency of different Decision Making Units on a multi-year panel, as well as proposing specific policy meausures for each case study.
Consumer behavior assessment emphasizes on the atttitudes clarification prior to the consumers’s final choice. Through the conduction of field surveys in national and interanational level, a set of different variables can be collected leading to the creation of factors that affect consumers’ choices. In this way, sprecific guidelines can be provided each time based on the product of interest, assuring that the final product reflects consumers needs. Obtained factors are also related to the demographics characteristics of the sample in order to create specific target groups. Lastly, willigness to pay assesment elucidates the consumer motivation to pay an additional amount of price in order to acquire a product with premium characteristics.
COMPETENCES
Optimization
By implementing optimization techniques (DEA, SFA, TOPSIS etc), we can highlight the best performers of any given system as well as provide feedback for the inefficient ones
Consumer Behaviour
Bespoke strategies for consumer attitudes towards agricultural products or practices based on target group characteristics. Also, Willigness to Pay for premium characteristics can be assessed
Innovative technologies implementation
Creating tailormade solutions for industry through the implementation of innovative technologies by using sensors, individualized platforms and dedicated infographics
Living Labs establishment
The systematic approach of LL is based on the five following steps: 1) Territorial diagnosis, 2) Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC), 3) Tools testing, 4) Experimentation and 5) Literacy
PRIMA Project GreenDriedFruits
Title: Application of extreme temperatures in dried figs, dates, and currants disinfestation: sustainability in practice
Acronym: GreenDriedFruits
Start Date: 1 July 2022
End Date: 30 June 2025
Funding cycle: 2021
Type of Action: RIA
Thematic Area: Agri-food Value Chain
Total cost: € 709.434,00
Coordinated by University of Milan
The PRIMA programme is an Art.185 initiative supported and funded under Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
Title: A hoListic framework in the quality Labelled food supply chain systems’ management towards enhanced data Integrity and verAcity, interoperability, traNsparenCy, and tracEability
Acronym: ALLIANCE
DOI: 10.3030/101084188
Start Date: 1 November 2022
End Date: 31 October 2025
Funded under: Horizon – Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Total cost: € 4.416.233,75
Coordinated by University of Thessaly
This project has received funding from the European Union’s HE research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101084188
Horizon Project NATAE
Title: Fostering agroecology transition in North Africa through multi-actor, evaluation, and networking
Acronym: NATAE
DOI: 10.3030/101084647
Start Date: 1 December 2022
End Date: 31 November 2026
Funded under: Horizon – Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Total cost: € 6.999.185,01
Coordinated by Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Mediterraneennes
This project has received funding from the European Union’s HE research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101084647
Horizon Project RestPoll
Title: Restoring Pollinator habitats across European agricultural landscapes based on multi-actor participatory approaches
Acronym: RestPoll
Project ID: 101082102
Start Date: 1 October 2023
End Date: 30 September 2027
Funded under: Horizon – Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Total cost: € 7.231.242,75
Coordinated by Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
This project has received funding from the European Union’s HE research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082102
PRIMA Project DIONYSUS
Title: Operational adaptation Nexusbased systems solutions in Mediterranean
Acronym: DIONYSUS
Start Date: 1 June 2024
End Date: 31 May 2027
Funding cycle: 2023
Type of Action: Innovation Action (IA)
Thematic Area: Accelerate adaptation and mitigation to climate change in the Mediterranean region by deploying WEFE nexus solutions
Total cost: € 4.137.142,85
Coordinated by Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (IAMM)
The PRIMA programme is an Art.185 initiative supported and funded under Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
PROFESSOR | LAB DIRECTOR
POSTDOC | OPTIMIZATION
POSTDOC | CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
POSTDOC | ICT SYSTEMS – TECHNOLOGIES