Voices of AgEnRes - Interview with Frederic Ang (Project co-coordinator)

Frederic leads Work Package 2, focusing on developing an EU-wide database for energy use, risk parameters, and energy-saving technologies. In this interview, he discusses the challenges of data collection, strategies to manage volatile costs of fossil fuel and mineral fertilisers, and the importance of AgEnRes in helping farmers achieve fossil-energy independence.

Join us to explore Frederic's insights and the important work being done to support European agriculture:

 

Interviewer:  

Could you briefly introduce yourself, your organisation, and its role in AgEnRes? 

Frederic:  

My name is Frederic Ang, and I'm an associate professor in the Business Economics group at Wageningen University.  

Wageningen University is involved in various Work Packages, and has the lead in work packages 2 and 5. I am deputy coordinator of this project and leader of Work Package 2. Work Package 2 deals with the allocation of fossil fuel costs to activities, risk attitudes of farms, and the development of a database with energy-saving technologies.

Interviewer:  

What are the main challenges that you foresee in achieving the project's goals, and how do you plan to address these challenges, especially from the perspective of your work package? 

Frederic:  

One significant challenge is data collection. We rely on the FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) database, which can sometimes be difficult to access. Accurate estimates also require information from other national handbooks and databases, which can vary in ease of access across countries.  

Interviewer: 

How do you see the outcomes of this project benefiting farmers and agricultural communities? 

Frederic:  

Farmers face significant challenges with the high and unstable costs of fossil fuels and fertilisers. Our project aims to offer solutions, such as adopting new technologies and management tools to deal with these issues. By becoming more productive and reducing reliance on fossil fuels and fertilisers, farmers can achieve greater energy independence. 

Interviewer:  

Are there any exciting developments or milestones that you're looking forward to as the project progresses? 

Frederic:  

I'm particularly excited about creating these databases, which will allow for accurate allocation of energy costs to activities. This will significantly benefit other work packages, such as Work Package 3, which involves microeconomic analysis, and macroeconomic models like GLOBIOM. Successfully creating these databases will be a major milestone. 

Interviewer:  

Finally, what message would you like to convey to stakeholders and the wider community about the importance of AgEnRes? 

Frederic:  

The main message is that times are tough for farmers, with rising energy costs posing a significant challenge. AgEnRes aims to provide solutions to help farmers address these challenges and achieve energy independence. 

Interviewer:  

Thank you very much. 

 

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