Date of birth 10 July 1950
Place Brakel, Germany
Nomination 27 September 2012 (President of the PAS since 13 June 2017)
Field Development and Agricultural Economics
Title Director, Center for Development Research (ZEF)

Most important awards, prizes and academies

Justus von Liebig Prize for World Nutrition, by Fiat Panis Foundation, University of Hohenheim, November 2011; The Bertebos Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, Stockholm, January 2009; Lifetime Fellow of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), 2009; Lifetime Fellow of the African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE), 2010; Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for contributions to agricultural development and food policy for developing countries, 2006; Research Fellow of Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn, 2010; Honorary Doctoral Degree (Dr. hc) in Agricultural Economics from the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, Germany, 2005; Honorary Professorial Appointment to the International Research Center for Food and Agriculture Economics of Nanjing Agricultural University, China, 2004; Elected Fellow of the German Economics Association’s (Verein für Socialpolitik) Development Economics Branch, 1996; Josef G. Knoll Science Prize from Eiselen Foundation (Germany) for distinguished research for the improvement of food security and nutrition, 1988; Professor Title (Habilitation, Dr. Habil) in Agricultural Economics at University of Göttingen, Germany, 1983; Award from the Federal German Labor Office for doctoral dissertation, 1978. Memberships: Member, Academy of Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Economics, Engineering, and Natural Sciences Chapter), 1999; Member, German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), 2011; Member, International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council (IPC), 2007; Chair of the ‘Bio-Economy Council’ at acatech for the Federal German Government (member from 2009, Chair since 2012); Member, Innovation Council (Innovationsbeirat) of Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2011; Member, World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Food Security (2008-11) and participant in the Davos World Economic Forum (various years 2001-08); Member, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Advisory Group for Global Agricultural Development Initiative, 2010; Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), 2012; Academic Advisory Board of the European Union for the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change Research, 2010; Member, Academic Board for Program Evaluation of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 2011; Member, Robert Bosch Foundation program on natural resources and development research, (1998-2002 and since 2007); Member, Strategic Advisory Group on Water Supply and Sanitation of United Nations, WHO/UNICEF, 2009; Member, Nestlé Advisory Board on “Creating Shared Value”, 2009; Chair, Scientific Advisory Board of the Courant Research Centre of the University of Göttingen for Poverty, Equity, and Growth in Developing Countries, 2010; Member, Indo-German Council, appointed by German Government, 2011; Member, Board of Academic Advisors of the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), Beijing, China, 2005. Academic associations, including: IAAE (International Association of Agricultural Economists); AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science); AAAE (American Association of Agricultural Economists); EAAE (European Association of Agricultural Economists); GeWiSoLa (German Agricultural Economics Association); Verein fuer Socialpolitik (German Economics Association); EUDN (European Development Network). Boards of journals, including: World Development, 1996-2004; Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, since 1995; economics. The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-journal, since 2005; Food Security journal, since 2009; Journal of Social Exclusion Studies, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, since 2011. Academic Reviews and Advisory Services for various organizations, including: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Volkswagen Foundation; German Science Foundation; Federal German Parliament; EU-Commission; The World Bank; FAO; WFP; UN ECOSOC; US Senate Committees (Foreign Relations, Energy).

Summary of scientific research

von Braun is considered an internationally leading expert on the problems of hunger and malnutrition and solutions of these problems. His scientific publications address poverty, international development economics, economics of natural resources, agriculture, and science and technology policy. von Braun was Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Washington, DC, USA from 2002 to 2009. Since 2009 von Braun is Director of the Center for Development Research (ZEF) and Professor for Economic and Technological Change at University of Bonn, Germany. ZEF is Germany’s leading multi-disciplinary research institute on aspects of development. von Braun serves as chair of the Bio-Economy Council of the German Government, and on various international, and European advisory councils. He has had work experience in the following countries: Egypt, Gambia, Guatemala, Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia, India, China, Bangladesh, Russia

Main publications

Books and Monographs: Lal, Rattan, Klaus Lorenz, Reinhard F. Hüttl, Bernd Uwe Schneider, Joachim von Braun Ed. 2012. Recarbonization of the Biosphere. Ecosystems and the Global Carbon Cycle. Dordrecht Heidelberg New York London: Springer; E. Nkonya, N. Gerber, T. Walter, J. von Braun, P. Baumgartner 2011. The Economics of Land Degradation: Toward an Integrated Global Assessment (Development Economics and Policy); von Braun, J., R. Vargas-Hill, R. Pandya-Lorch, eds. 2009. The Poorest and Hungry: Assessments, Analyses, and Actions. IFPRI Book. Washington DC., USA; von Braun, J., and E. Diaz-Bonilla, ed. 2008. Globalization of Food and Agriculture and the Poor. New Delhi: Oxford University Press; Torero, M., and J. von Braun, ed. 2006. Information and communication technology for development and poverty reduction: The potential of telecommunications. Baltimore, Maryland, USA: The Johns Hopkins University Press; Virchow, D., and J. von Braun ed. 2001. Villages in the Future: Crops, Jobs, and Livelihood. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer-Verlag; Wehrheim, P., K. Frohberg, E. Serova, and J. von Braun ed. 2000. Russia’s Agro-food Sector: Towards Truly Functioning Markets. Boston, Dordrecht, and London: Kluwer Academic Publishers; Qaim, M., A.F. Krattinger, and J. von Braun ed. 2000. Agricultural Biotechnology in Developing Countries: Towards Optimizing the Benefits for the Poor (cover and TOC only). Boston, Dordrecht, and London: Kluwer Academic Publishers; Peters, G. H., and J. von Braun ed. 1999. Food Security, Diversification, and Resource Management: Refocusing the Role of Agriculture? England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.; von Braun, J., T. Teklu, and P. Webb. 1998. Famine in Africa: Causes, Responses, and Prevention. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press; von Braun, J., F. Bellin-Sesay, T. Feldbrügge, and F. Heidhues. 1998. Verbesserung der Ernährung in Entwicklungsländern: Strategien und Politikempfehlungen. München, Köln, and London: Weltforum Verlag; Ling, Z., J. Zhongyi, and J. von Braun. 1997. Credit Systems for the Rural Poor in China. Commack, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.; Zeller, M., G. Schrieder, J. von Braun, and F. Heidhues. 1997. Rural Finance for Food Security for the Poor: Implications for Research and Policy. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute; von Braun, J. ed. 1995. Employment for Poverty Reduction and Food Security. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute; von Braun, J., and E. Kennedy ed. 1994. Agricultural Commercialization, Economic Development, and Nutrition. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press; Webb, P., and J. von Braun. 1994. Famine and Food Security in Ethiopia: Lessons for Africa. Chichester, NY, Brisbane, Toronto, and Singapore: John Wiley and Sons Publ.; von Braun, J. 1984. Ernährungssicherungspolitik in Entwicklungsländern – Ökonomische Analyse am Beispiel Ägyptens. Kiel: Kieler Wissenschaftsverlag Vauk. Book Chapters: von Braun, J., M.T. Ruel, and S. Gillespie. 2012: Bridging the Gap between the Agriculture and Health Sectors. In: Reshaping Agriculture for Nutrition and Health. An IFPRI 2020 Book. Ed. Shenggen Fan and Rajul Pandya-Lorch; von Braun, J. 2011. „Auf die Kleinen kommt es an“ – Welternährung zwischen Mangel und Markt. In Herausforderung Mensch – Energie, Ernährung, Gesundheit. Verhandlung der Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte e.V., 126. Versammlung, 17. bis 21. September 2010 in Dresden. Ed. Zenner, H.-P., A.G. Beck-Sickinger, E. Knust, L. Schultz, W. Wahlster, and M. With.Georg Thime Verlag KG. 125-136; von Braun, J. 2011: Increasing and More Volatile Food Prices and the Consumer. In: The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Food Consumption and Policy. Ed. Jayson Lusk, Jutta Roosen, and Jason Shogren. 612-628, Oxford University Press; von Braun, J. 2010. ICT for the Poor at Large Scale: Innovation Connection to Markets and Services. In ICT for the Next Five Billion People. Ed. Picot, Arnold and Lorenz, Josef. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg. 3-14; Birner, R., J. von Braun. 2009. Decentralization and Public Service Provision – A Framework for Pro-poor Institutional Design. In: Ehtisham Ahmad, and Giorgio Brosio, Does Decentralization Enhance Service Delivery and Poverty Reduction? E. Elgar Publ.; von Braun, J. 2008. Rural-urban linkages for growth, employment, and poverty reduction. In Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on the Ethiopian Economy, Vol. 1. Ed. G. Alemu, and E. Wale. Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Economic Association (EEA); von Braun, J. 2008. When Food Makes Fuel: The Promises and Challenges of Biofuels. In Biofuels, Energy, and Agriculture: Powering Towards or Away from Food Security? Ed. A.G. Brown. Canberra: The ATSE Crawford Fund; von Braun, J. 2008. Public Policy and International Collaboration for Sustaining and Expanding the Rice Revolution. In Science, technology, and trade for peace and prosperity: Proceedings of the 26th International Rice Research Conference, 9-12 October 2006, New Delhi, India. Ed. P.K. Aggarwal, J.K. Ladha, R.K. Singh, C. Devakumar, and B. Hardy. New Delhi, India; Los Baños, Philippines: International Rice Research Institute, Indian Council of Agricutlural Research, and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences; von Braun, J., and T. Mengistu. 2007. On the ethics and economics of changing behavior in food and agricultural production, consumption, and trade: Some reflections on what to do. In Ethics, hunger, and globalization: In search of appropriate policies. The International Library of Environmental, Agricultural, and Food Ethics, Vol. 12. Ed. P. Pinstrup-Andersen, and P. Sandøe. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer; von Braun, J. 2005. Agricultural economics and distributional effects. In Reshaping Agriculture’s Contributions to Society: Proceedings of the Twenty-Fifth International Conference of Agricultural Economists, held at Durban, South Africa, 16-22 August 2003. Ed. D. Colman, and N. Vink. Malden, MA, USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. for IAAE; von Braun, J., and U. Grote. 2002. Does Decentralization Serve the Poor? In Managing Fiscal Decentralization. Ed. E. Ahmad, and V. Tanzi. London and New York: Routledge – Taylor and Francis Group; von Braun, J., and Q. Zhu. 2000. Das Finanzsystem in China. In Obst/Hintner Geld-, Bank- und Börsenwesen: 40. Auflage. Ed. J. von Hagen, and J.H. von SteinSchaffer Poeschel; von Braun, J. 1999. Food Security: A Conceptual Basis. In Food Security and Nutrition: The Global Challenge. Ed. U. Kracht, and M. Schulz. New York: St. Martin’s Press; von Braun, J. 1997. The Links between Agricultural Growth, Environmental Degradation, and Nutrition and Health: Implications for Policy and Research. In Sustainability, Growth, and Poverty Alleviation: A Policy and Agroecological Perspective. Ed. S. Vosti, and T. Reardon. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press; von Braun, J. 1996. Konfliktgeladene Bildung von Märkten für pflanzengenetische Ressourcen: institutionelle und ökonomische Implikationen für Entwicklungsländer. In Die Entwicklungsländer im Zeitalter der Globalisierung. Ed. H.-B. Schäfer. Berlin: Duncker und Humblot GmbH; Binswanger, H., and J. von Braun. 1993. Technological Change and Commercialization in Agriculture: Impact on the Poor. In Including the Poor. Ed. M. Lipton, and J. van der Gaag. Washington, DC: World Bank; Puetz, D., and J. von Braun. 1991. Parallel Markets and the Rural Poor in a West African Setting. In Markets in Developing Countries: Parallel, Fragmented, and Block. Ed. M. Roemer, and C. Jones. San Francisco: ICS Press for the International Centre for Economic Growth, Harvard Institute for International Development; von Braun, J. 1991. Social Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: Reflections on Policy Challenges. In Social Security in Developing Countries. Ed. E. Ahmad, J. Drèze, J. Hills, and A. Sen. Oxford: Oxford University Press; von Braun, J., and D. E. Sahn. 1989. The Implications of Variability in Food Production for National Income, Consumption, and Household Food Security. In Variability in Grain Yields: Implications for Agricultural Research and Policy in Developing Countries. Ed. J. Anderson, and P. Hazell. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press; von Braun, J., and B. Huddleston. 1988. Implications of Food Aid for Price Policy in Recipient Countries. In Agricultural Price Policy for Developing Countries. Ed. J.W. Mellor, and R. Ahmed. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press for the International Food Policy Research Institute; von Braun, J. 1988. Food Subsidies in Egypt: Implications for the Agricultural Sector. In Food Subsidies in Developing Countries: Costs, Benefits, and Policy Options. Ed. P. Pinstrup-Andersen. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press for the International Food Policy Research Institute; von Braun, J. 1988. Implications of Consumer-Oriented Food Subsidies for Domestic Agriculture. In Food Subsidies in Developing Countries: Costs, Benefits, and Policy Options. Ed. P. Pinstrup-Andersen. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press for the International Food Policy Research Institute. Journals Articles: von Braun, J. 2011. Food price crisis and health. Policies on trade, grain reserves, and biofuel subsidies all need to change. British Medical Journal 2011; 342; von Braun, J. 2010. Strategic body needed to beat food crises – The system that oversees global agriculture and food security needs an overhaul, Nature, June 2010. 548-549 http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v465/n7298/full/465548a.html; von Braun, J. 2010. “Land Grabbing”. Ursachen und Konsequenzen internationaler Landakquirierung in Entwicklungsländern. Zeitschrift für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik 3.10.299-307. http://www.springerlink.com/content/q86j765nrw8l0335/fulltext.pdf?MUD=MP; von Braun, J. 2010. Food Insecurity, Hunger, and Malnutrition: Necessary Policy and Technology Changes. NewBiotechnology (2010), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nbt.2010.08.006; von Braun, J. 2009. Addressing the Food Crisis: Governance, Market Functioning, and Investment in Public Goods. In: Food Security 1: 9-15. http://www.springerlink.com/content/u7t112n7501642v3/fulltext.pdf; von Braun, J. 2009. Addressing the Food Crisis: Governance, Market Functioning, and Investment in Public Goods. Food Security 1: 9-15; von Braun, J. 2008. The food crisis isn’t over. Nature 456 (11 December): 701. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/456701a; von Braun, J. 2008. Rising Food Prices: What Should Be Done? EuroChoices 7 (2): 31-35; Hazell, P., and J. von Braun. 2006. Aid to Agriculture, Growth, and Poverty Reduction. EuroChoices 5 (1): 6-13; von Braun, J. 2005. The Millennium Development Goals in need of strategy and instruments: Agriculture and rural development matter. Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture 44 (No. 2 (2005)): 95-100; Jiang Yuansheng, and von Braun, J. 2005. The Economic Costs of Illness and the Coping Strategies of Farmers’ Households in West China – An Empirical Study with Samples from Sichuan Province. Chinese Rural Economy 11 (251): 33-39; Asfaw, A., J. von Braun, and S. Klasen. 2004. How big is the crowding-out effect of user fees in the rural areas of Ethiopia? Implications for equity and resources mobilization. World Development 32 (No. 12, December): 2065-81; Asfaw, A., and J. von Braun. 2004. Is consumption insured against illness? Evidence on vulnerability of households to health shocks in rural Ethiopia. Economic Development and Cultural Change 53 (No. 1, October): 115-30; von Braun, J. 2004. Can community health insurance schemes shield the poor against the downside health effects of economic reforms? The case of rural Ethiopia. Health Policy 70: 97-108; von Braun, J., and M.A. Brown. 2003. Ethical Questions of Equitable Worldwide Food Production Systems. Plant Physiology 133 (November 2003): 1-7; Müller, O., A. Jahn, and J. von Braun. 2002. Editorial: Micronutrient Supplementation for Malaria Control – Hype or Hope? Tropical Medicine and International Health Vol. 7 (No. 1 (January)): 1-3; Serova, E., J. von Braun, and P. Wehrheim. 1999. The Impact of Financial Crisis on Russia’s Agro-food Sector. European Review of Agricultural Economics 26 (3): 349-70; tho Seeth, H., S. Chachnov, A. Surinov, and J. von Braun. 1998. Russian Poverty: Muddling Through Economic Transition with Garden Plots. World Development 26 (9 (September)): 1611-23; von Braun, J. 1995. Agricultural Commercialization: Impacts on Income and Nutrition and Implications for Policy. Food Policy Vol. 20 (No. 3 (June)): 187-202; von Braun, J., T. Teklu, and P. Webb. 1992. Labour-Intensive Public Works for Food Security in Africa: Past Experience and Future Potential (Travaux publics à haute intensité de main-d’æuvre et sécurité alimentaire en Afrique: rétrospective et potentiel futur). International Labour Review Vol. 131 (No. 1): 19-33; Binswanger, H., and J. von Braun. 1991. Technological Change and Commercialization in Agriculture: The Effect on the Poor. The World Bank Research Observer Vol. 6 (No. 1, January): 57-80; von Braun, J., and P. Webb. 1989. The Impact of New Crop Technology on the Agricultural Division of Labor in a West African Setting. Economic Development and Cultural Change Vol. 37(No. 3, April): 513-34; von Braun, J. 1988. Effects of Technological Change in Agriculture on Food Consumption and Nutrition: Rice in a West African Setting. World Development Vol. 16(No. 9): 1083-98; von Braun, J., and D. Puetz. 1987. An African Fertilizer Crisis: Origin and Economic Effects in The Gambia. Food Policy Vol. 12 (No. 4, November): 337-48; Alderman, H., and J. von Braun. 1986. Egypt’s Food Subsidy Policy: Lessons and Options. Food Policy Vol. 11 (No. 3, August): 223-37.