ZEF is an interdisciplinary research center of the University of Bonn on questions of sustainable development with a particular focus on poverty reduction and sustainable food security. Most research projects focus on economic, social, and environmental issues in countries of the Global South (Africa, Asia, and Latin America), whereby important transformation processes in Europe and other high-income regions are also considered. ZEF has three departments: Political and Cultural Change (ZEFa), Economic and Technological Change (ZEFb), Ecology and Natural Resources Management (ZEFc). In ZEFb, various aspects of the bioeconomy are analyzed. International projects look at sustainable land use, food production, potentials of agricultural technology, food and nutrition security, and renewable resources against the backdrop of climate change, population developments, and natural resource scarcities. Issues of international trade and of agricultural and technology policies and their effects on various sustainability dimensions are also analyzed.
ZEFb focuses on the following aspects of particular relevance to the bioeconomy: