09.04.2026: New publication on resilience challenges in global bioeconomy policies
A new article co-authored by Nicolai Goritz, Maria Proestou, and Peter H. Feindt at the Agricultural and Food Policy Group has been published in Environmental Management. The study conducts a systematic content analysis of 78 national bioeconomy policy documents from 50 countries published between 2005 and 2020, investigating the extent to which governments recognize and address resilience challenges in their bioeconomy strategies.
The findings show that while two-thirds of documents mention at least one resilience challenge, the average text share devoted to these issues remains limited at 3.3%. Where challenges are articulated, they are predominantly framed in economic terms, with environmental, social, and political stresses receiving comparatively little attention. Nearly two-thirds of challenge-related text proposed no concrete policy instrument to enhance resilience. Agriculture and bioenergy emerged as the most salient sectors associated with resilience concerns, reflecting a strong influence of the bioresource vision of the bioeconomy.
The study concludes that resilience thinking remains unevenly integrated into bioeconomy policymaking globally, and calls for stronger anticipatory capacities, cross-sector stakeholder dialogue, and more explicit consideration of environmental and societal risks in strategic bioeconomy governance.
Citation:
Goritz, N., Proestou, M. & Feindt, P.H. (2026). Resilience Challenges in Bioeconomy Policies: A Global Comparative Analysis. Environmental Management, 76, 145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-026-02432-1