SocialLab: Durch Forschung und Zusammenarbeit hin zu einer nachhaltigen landwirtschaftlichen Nutztierhaltung

The SocialLab project was initiated in 2012 in order to address the need for improvements in agricultural livestock farming systems from both, scientific and societal perspectives. If comprehensive changes towards greater sustainability in the production of animal-based food are not achieved, the industry risks losing the societal acceptance for animal-based food products in the long run. Therefore, the project adopts a multidisciplinary and participatory approach, involving consumers, agricultural farms, the retail sector, and interest groups to gather insights and formulate recommendations for policy, practice and research. The outcomes of SocialLab II have significance across the entire agricultural value chain, e.g. farmers are gaining insights into market and societal requirements to increase their confidence in designing new animal husbandry systems. Another objective of SocialLab II was to better understand consumer behaviour and moreover, providing a monitoring tool for policymakers to measure shifts in societal perception and acceptance of livestock farming. Hence, our tools also offer guidance for shaping the legal framework for livestock farming, and the food retail sector can benefit from insights e.g. on how pricing strategies and animal welfare labels influence consumer behaviour. In total, the SocialLab infrastructure provides the opportunity for evidence-based, participatory, multidisciplinary, and situationally flexible engagement in the ongoing transformation of livestock farming in Germany.