The H2020 MATS project is proud to announce that the scientific article entitled “Carbon border adjustments or climate clubs: Impacts on African agricultural sectors under different cooperative scenarios” has been recognized as a Wiley Top Viewed Article for 2025 in The World Economy journal.
The distinction was awarded to lead author Valeria Costantini and co-authors in recognition of the article’s exceptional readership and scientific impact among papers published in The World Economy during 2024.
The paper explores how different international climate policy mechanisms — including carbon border adjustment measures and climate clubs — may affect African agricultural sectors under varying cooperation scenarios. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions on sustainable trade, climate governance, and equitable transitions for developing economies, themes that strongly align with the objectives of the MATS project.
This recognition highlights the growing international interest in research addressing the intersection of climate policy, trade, and sustainability, while also underlining the scientific excellence fostered within the MATS consortium.
Congratulations to the authors for this important achievement.
TNI Academy offers a learning platform to change the world, providing live and self-paced courses on critical global issues for activists. Our courses have included explorations of digital capitalism, geopolitical shifts, post-growth strategies in cities, training for journalists on EU migration policies and more. Over 35,000 people have participated in courses from more than 140 countries. Our courses build on five decades of TNI’s work as a knowledge hub connecting movements, researchers and policy-makers.
We are also open to partnering with organisations and movements to develop courses, for example on agricultural trade and sustainabillty, food system transformation, climate and land politics, using our infrastructure and pedagogical experience, to deliver engaging courses that equip activists with information, analysis and practical strategies that can sharpen their campaigns.
If you would like to explore partnership with TNI to deliver a course, please email academy@tni.org
Target Groups
Our target audiences are activists, students, researchers, journalists, and policy-makers worldwide. We work fluently in English and Spanish but have also run courses in multiple other languages.
The Laboratory of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (LaBEES) in Athens provides practical behavioral insights and experimental testing services to support research, policy, and project design.
Our services include:
Experiment design and implementation: We design and conduct behavioral experiments—either in-person or online—to explore how people make decisions (e.g., how farmers respond to subsidy schemes or how consumers react to food labels).
Surveys and behavioral measurement: We collect and analyze data on preferences, beliefs, and decision-making styles to explain real-world behavior.
Behavioral pilots: We design and test small-scale interventions—such as nudges, incentives, or informational messages—to identify effective approaches before large-scale implementation.
Data analysis and interpretation: We analyze behavioral data to produce clear, evidence-based recommendations for policy and business decisions.
Training and capacity building: We offer workshops and tutorials on experimental design and behavioral methods for project teams, institutions, and students.
Target Groups
Our services are tailored for:
Research teams and project consortia integrating behavioral components into EU or national projects.
Policy makers and public institutions seeking to test and evaluate new programs or communication strategies before rollout.
Consultancies, NGOs, and agribusinesses aiming to understand farmer and consumer decision-making to improve sustainability, marketing, or policy adoption.
Students and early-career researchers interested in hands-on training in behavioral and experimental methods.
The lab features 25 workstations for behavioral studies and has extensive experience conducting experiments both in Greece and internationally. It supports both in-person and online projects, applying behavioral insights to agriculture, environmental policy, and consumer behavior.
Example Applications:
Farmer policy design: Testing how alternative agricultural subsidy schemes influence farmers’ investment decisions and rural engagement.
Food labeling: Measuring how nutrition or sustainability labels affect consumer choices in supermarkets.
Public communication: Evaluating how message framing about climate change or health risks influences public attitudes and compliance.
Tailored Food is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming food systems in regions facing high levels of malnutrition and food insecurity. Through a combination of anthropological research, strategic partnerships, and community-driven entrepreneurship, Tailored Food designs and implements sustainable, culturally relevant, and affordable food solutions. Tailored Food employs a rigorous, anthropologically informed approach to understand the food landscape in target communities.
Tailored Food collaborates with a diverse range of stakeholders to drive food system transformation:
International Organizations: Partnering with UN agencies like the World Food Programme and UNICEF to scale nutritious food interventions.
Private Sector: Working with companies such as Griffith Foods to develop nutritious, cost-effective food products tailored for local markets.
Local Communities: Engaging with smallholder farmers, local businesses, and women entrepreneurs to ensure community ownership and sustainability
Please download here an overview of some key case studies. A case study with the UN World Food Programme can be downloaded from here.
Target Groups
International Organizations: Partnering with UN agencies like the World Food Programme and UNICEF to scale nutritious food interventions.
Private Sector: Working with companies such as Griffith Foods to develop nutritious, cost-effective food products tailored for local markets.
Local Communities: Engaging with smallholder farmers, local businesses, and women entrepreneurs to ensure community ownership and sustainability.
Sustainability Standards Assessments in Global Value Chains
Service Description
Target Groups
Service Provider
Service Description
We provide two types of services: (i.) a social or environmental impact assessment analysis as it relates to a given product/ commodity (e.g. coffee), and (ii.) a sustainability transparency assessment for specific sustainability standards (e.g. VSS) or a sustainability transparency assessment for corporate sustainability disclosure (e.g. specific companies in specific markets).
An online resource associated with an underlying analytical tool is under development, to identify investment-focused transition projects that can be candidates for private sector funding in terms of return on investment, and therefore potentially free up capital from NGOs and other public funders. A combination of modeling tools will be applied to land use and climate data, to arrive at cash flow forecasts for farm-level transition scenarios and predictions focused on a subset of commodities and technologies.
Target Groups
Farmers, banks and other private and public sector organizations
You can access the MATS e-book (in collaboration with Innovation Newsnetwork) published in February 2025 “More Sustainable Agricultural Trade through Inclusive Agency and Robust Governance – Lessons for Policymaking” for free here
Final report from the MATS Project Final Conference (November 19-20, 2024)
The MATS Project Final Conference was held on November 19-20, 2024, at the conference facilities of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). Five sessions with different MATS-themes were carried out during the two-day conference, including 1) Social and Human Rights Considerations for Sustainable Agricultural Trade, 2) Economy & Markets Perspective, 3) Modelling Techniques for Assessing Linkages between Trade Regimes, Market Dynamics, and Sustainability, 4) Governance, Trade Regimes and Transition Pathways to Sustainable Trade, and 5) Joint policy lessons from MATS, Trade4SD and VCA4D.
Each session consisted of presentations and panel discussions, with 5-7 panelists. About sixty people registered and attended the on-site meeting, and more than 50 people registered for attending online.
The conference featured interviews with invited speakers and panel discussants, and all interview videos are available on the project website and MATS project YouTube channel (link here).
Web and social media outreach on the conference was distributed via Twitter and LinkedIn during the two-day conference, and more information about the conference is available on the MATS project webpage.
The MATS Project is featured in Allevatori Top Magazine
One of the key objectives of the MATS project is to develop analytical frameworks and tools that support the assessment of policy impact, especially in relation to trade dynamics. This concept is akin to a digital version of the butterfly effect, with policies being designed and implemented in the EU having impacts across the World, for several countries and value chains. Unraveling these intricate connections is the responsibility of Andrea Bassi, CEO of KnowlEdge (KE), with support from Alberto Menghi, a senior researcher at the Research Centre of Animal Production (CRPA) in Reggio Emilia, Italy. KE and CRPA are MATS project partners.
This article focuses on dynamics pertaining the dairy sector. In the framework developed and applied by MATS, social and environmental sustainability are crucial components of the dairy value chain. While it is well-known that wages in developing countries are lower than in Europe, our interest lies in understanding the social effects of wage increases for dairy workers in an African country, and the effort required to increase labor and animal productivity as a way to offset the financial impact of higher labor costs. Specifically, on the social side, we aim to determine whether the additional income families receive each month can enhance their children’s education or improve their nutrition, thereby reducing the average mortality rate in that country and increasing labor productivity. In essence, over a medium to long-term analysis, our goal is to assess whether a small change—such as an extra $30 per month in salary—can lead to a significant, amplified outcome, like an increase in the number of graduates in that African country, while maintaining profitability for the sector.
Brazil ranks as the world’s second-largest beef producer and a leading exporter, holding 27.7% of the global market. With a national herd exceeding 200 million, cattle farming is a cornerstone of the Brazilian economy and a major source of rural employment. The leading export position of Brazilian beef is due to the high level of competitiveness of its beef farms. In 2021, the international research network agri benchmark Beef calculated that the total cost of production in Brazil can range from a minimum of €239/100 kg of carcass weight (CW) on large typical farms (with up to 5,000 heads sold per year) to a maximum of €628/100 kg CW on small farms (with 35 heads sold per year). In comparison, typical EU farms produce beef at costs ranging from a minimum of €465/100 kg CW on medium-sized German farms (with an average of 285 heads sold per year) to a maximum of €699/100 kg CW on French farms (with 75 heads sold per year). Furthermore, over recent decades, the sector has grown significantly, supported by favourable government policies, technological innovations, and rising global beef demand. However, sustainability challenges are a major concern, with issues like deforestation, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and land degradation at the forefront. Additionally, not all farmers have equal access to resources, meaning that modernization benefits often bypass small and medium-sized farms.
Key Technological Advancements Driving Change
A major shift in Brazilian beef farming has been the move from low-input, extensive grazing systems to sustainable intensification practices. Technology has played a pivotal role in improving productivity and reducing environmental impact, helping Brazil maintain its competitive edge. Key advancements include:
1. Enhanced Pasture Management: High-yield tropical grasses, like Brachiaria, have become central to boosting productivity. Suited to Brazil’s climate, these grasses improve cattle health, meat quality, and reduce costs. Innovations in pasture rotation and degradation control help preserve soil health and combat erosion, laying the groundwork for long-term sustainability.
2. Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems (ICLS): Integrating livestock with crops or forestry, particularly in crop-livestock-forestry systems (ICLFS), is emerging as a sustainable model. These systems increase land efficiency, promote biodiversity, and diversify farm income. Adding trees into the mix helps sequester carbon, provides shade for animals, and supports animal welfare, aligning with Brazil’s low-carbon agriculture goals and climate commitments.
3. Genetic and Reproductive Breakthroughs: Advances in breeding—especially with the Nellore breed, adapted to tropical climates—are enhancing the growth rates and efficiency of Brazil’s herds. Genetic programs now use sophisticated computational tools to select for traits linked to growth and environmental impact. Techniques like artificial insemination and in vitro embryo production boost herd productivity, although scaling remains a challenge, especially for small farmers.
4. Improved Feed and Supplementation: Brazil’s beef industry has made strides in animal nutrition, with mineral supplements and high-energy feeds ensuring year-round cattle health. Semi-intensive and feedlot systems accelerate weight gain, reducing emissions by shortening the time cattle spend on pasture.
Policy Support for Sustainable Intensification
Public policies have been instrumental in the beef sector’s progress. Two key policies are:
1. The Brazilian Forest Code: Updated in 2012, the code requires landowners to preserve portions of their land depending on the biome, limiting areas that can be cleared for pasture. The Rural Environmental Registry also enables government monitoring of land use and deforestation, balancing agricultural expansion with conservation.
2. The Low Carbon Agriculture Plan (ABC Plan): Launched in 2010, this plan supports low-carbon farming practices, aligning with Brazil’s climate goals. The ABC Plan promotes pasture recovery, no-till farming, and integrated systems, among other low-carbon strategies. The ABC+ Plan now extends these efforts, supporting technologies like advanced irrigation and bio-inputs.
Challenges Facing Small and Medium Farmers
Despite technological progress and supportive policies, sustainable intensification has not reached all farmers equally. Small and medium-sized producers, representing around 76% of Brazil’s agricultural workforce, face barriers in accessing financial resources, technical assistance, and knowledge for adopting new practices:
Limited Credit Access: Small-scale farmers often lack the capital needed to invest in technology. Credit programs like PRONAF offer loans for family farms, but stringent requirements can be prohibitive.
Technical Assistance Gaps: Smallholders may struggle to access the training needed to implement advanced practices, limiting their competitiveness.
Socio-Cultural Barriers: For traditional farmers, sustainable intensification may conflict with established practices. Changing these approaches requires not only financial support but also culturally sensitive education.
Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts
Sustainable intensification has the potential to bring positive environmental and socioeconomic changes. By intensifying production on existing lands, Brazil can reduce deforestation pressure, helping to meet its climate targets of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Economically, sustainable practices can improve rural livelihoods and reduce poverty, provided that small and medium farmers are included. Integrated systems, such as crop-livestock-forestry, can create jobs and increase resilience in agricultural communities.
Conclusions
A robust support program is recommended to provide technical assistance for sustainable technologies, with a focus on smaller farms. Expanding access to microfinance and fostering partnerships between public and private sectors could drive innovative funding models to support sustainable beef farming.
In conclusion, while Brazil’s beef sector has made significant strides toward sustainable intensification, ensuring that these advancements reach all farmers is crucial. Continued investment in education, infrastructure, and financial support will be key to maintaining Brazil’s role as a leader in sustainable beef production on the global stage. How Brazil manages this transition will be vital to its environmental and economic future.
From Traditionally Extensive to Sustainably Intensive: A Review on the Path to a Sustainable and Inclusive Beef Farming in Brazil. Animals 2024, 14, 2340. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162340
