Esther Amankwah joined the Department of Ecological-Economic Policy Modelling at the University of Hohenheim in November 2023. Her project stems from the Graduate College HABIT overarching project with a specific focus on developing models for agricultural policies that promote biodiversity in peripheral areas

• Agricultural policy
• Economic-Ecological modelling
• Integrated Land-use modelling
• Sustainable agricultural commodity industry

Modelling of Biodiversity-Friendly Policies Across Varied Spatial Levels for Sustainable Agriculture  

The project, spanning two pillars, models agricultural policies for biodiversity and economic sustainability at different spatial levels. Pillar I employs an integrated land-use model to identify optimal options for marginal agricultural lands, particularly focusing on species-rich, extensive grasslands in Germany. Pillar II shifts the focus to Ghana, examining the relationship between ecology and the economics of pollinator services. This involves extending a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to assess the economy-wide impact of biodiversity-friendly pollinator policies.

M. Sc. Agricultural Economics, University of Hohenheim, Germany
Master´s thesis: Exploring the Knowledge, Perceptions, and Responses of Smallholder Farmers to the Living Income Differential in Ghana's Cocoa Sector  

B. Sc. Agricultural Science (Agricultural Economics Major), University of Ghana, Ghana
Bachelor´s thesis: Extent of Mobile money (digital money) Penetration among Ghana Cocoa farmers 

• Graduation scholarship by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), University of Hohenheim – (2023)
• Thesis Grant by Dr Hermann-Eiselen Research Grant, University of Hohenheim – (2023)
• Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation Award by DAAD, University of Hohenheim – (2021 -2023)

• Research Assistant, Chair of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, University of Hohenheim
• Teaching Assistant, Chair of Agricultural and Food Policy, University of Hohenheim
• Student Assistant, Gambling Research Center, University of Hohenheim
• Intern and Cocoa Sourcing Analyst, AgroEcom Ghana Ltd, Ghana