Werner Doppler

Werner Doppler (born December 15, 1941 in Oberlustadt (now Lustadt)) is a German agricultural economist and economist. His main teaching and research area were operating systems, rural development and social economy in the tropics and subtropics.

Live and act

As the son of a winemaker and farmer, he managed his parents' business for several years. He then studied agriculture and economics at the Universities of Hohenheim and Kiel. As an employee of Günther Weinschenck , he obtained his doctorate in 1974 at the University of Hohenheim. oec. with the topic The application of recursive, linear models for the analysis and prognosis of regional structural development in the agricultural sector . He then worked as a research assistant at Hans-Hartwig Ruthenberg and concentrated on research topics in developing countries. During this time he spent research semesters at the University of Bradford / England and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines. This was followed by a habilitation at the University of Hohenheim. From 1979 he took a lectureship at the University of Nairobi , Kenya. In 1981 he was offered a professorship for agricultural management in the tropics and subtropics at the University of Hohenheim .

Werner Doppler married Dorothea, nee Frank, in 1970. They have two sons, Fabian and Leander and a daughter Adriane.

Teaching and academic training

The main focus of the teaching was the application of quantitative socio-economic methods as well as holistic approaches to rural development in developing countries. Werner Doppler gave lectures as part of doctoral and master’s programs at the Universities of Hohenheim, Karlsruhe and Heidelberg, the Universities of Nairobi / Kenya, Florence / Italy, Amman / Jordan, Bradford / UK, Thai Nguyen and Hanoi / Vietnam and in Palmas / Brazil.

At the European level, Werner Doppler was involved in the internationalization of study programs as part of the Bologna Process . In his capacity as dean of the Agricultural Faculty of the University of Hohenheim, he was responsible for the introduction of the first formalized international doctoral program for students from developing countries (1991) as well as for the introduction of the first internationally oriented master’s courses (1997). During his time as head of the international doctoral program at the faculty, funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), a total of 104 doctoral students from 33 developing countries completed their doctorates. 57 PhD students from 25 countries were under his direct academic supervision.

research

From the descriptive-analytical consideration of the operating systems (farming systems approach) to quantitative, spatial future models

In his research on operating systems in the tropics and subtropics, Werner Doppler combines the descriptive-analytical approach (Hans-Hartwig Ruthenberg), which investigates past developments to explain relationships, with the methods of quantitative agricultural and economic research (e.g. Earl O. Heady, RH Day, Günther Weinschenck). This leads to future-oriented quantitative, spatial system models for estimating the future impact of development strategies for developing countries and development projects.

In order to improve the information basis, remote sensing methods for access to spatial information via satellites are included. This means that the methods of geographic information systems (GIS) can now also be used for spatial regional analyzes in conjunction with future economic models. With such approaches, Werner Doppler achieves a high degree of internalization of contexts and processes and aims at a holistic view of reality and the assessment of the effects of future development strategies.

From the business economy to the standard of living of families and the decision-making contexts of rural society

Werner Doppler expands the application of business administration in developing countries to a socio-economic perspective with the inclusion of social, ecological and cultural influences on people's decision-making behavior. Taking into account the complex target structure of families and groups leads to an assessment of future development strategies based on their contribution to target achievement and their probability. The basis of assessment for strategic decisions are economic, nutritional and health-related, social and dependency-relevant criteria of living standards and rural prosperity.

These extensions are transferred to the space and the interdependencies between decision-makers at different levels of a region and the physical and administrative infrastructure are included. The vertical decision-making relationships and dependencies "from top to bottom" and from "bottom to top" between families, village communities, ethnic groups, project and market institutions, regional administration up to the national level formulate the framework conditions for people's scope for decision-making and how they can be influenced. This applies above all to availability, usage potential and prices / costs for space, water, labor, capital, social networks and social security as well as knowledge and skills.

Application of the concepts in developing countries

Werner Doppler's empirical research focuses exclusively on developing countries with investigations into the effects of problem-solving strategies on the standard of living of families and the prosperity in the region in the following areas:

• Development and permanent use of natural water resources, organization and management of water distribution as well as water price policies (Middle East, Nepal / India, Southeast Asia)
• Strategies to prevent overuse of land, desertification and land erosion in mountain regions (West and East Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia)
• Alternatives to deforestation, alternative energies (Southeast Asia, Brazil) and regional development opportunities in remote mountain farming (Himalayas and Southeast Asia)
• Ecologically integrated animal use systems with maximum animal hygiene in family farms with limited resources and bottlenecks in food security (West Africa)
• Rural income generation through storage, processing and marketing of agricultural products in family farms and the role of women (Africa)
• Permanent operational and land use systems on the edges of the tropical rainforest (Brazil) and promotion of indigenous groups (mountain peoples in Asia, ethnic groups in the Amazon region)
• Limits and possibilities of the spatial infrastructure (transport sector, power supply, health system, school system, banks and public services) for the development of rural regions (Southeast Asia, Asia, Brazil)

Overarching for all subject areas are the questions of food security, migration behavior of people in the area, administrative capacity in a region and regulations for property / lease / rent, regional processes in the market and infrastructure as well as social processes and cultural framework conditions.

The research programs were embedded in collaborations with seven international research centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and a total of 26 universities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Publications

Werner Doppler's research team published 25 books and 210 scientific articles. The book “Tropical Farming Systems Economics” published in 2013 summarizes the research programs and their results. Werner Doppler is the founder and co-editor of the series ”Farming and Rural Systems Economics”. A total of 291 presentations were given at international conferences and workshops.

Selected book publications:

• Doppler, W. (2013): Tropical Farming Systems Economics. ISBN 978-3-8236-1654-2
• Doppler, W. et al. (2006): Water resources development and its impact on rural livelihood in Northern Thailand - Integrating GIS into farming systems economics. ISBN 978-3-8236-1568-2
• Doppler, W. et al. (2005): Resources and livelihood in mountain areas of South East Asia. Farming and rural systems in a changing environment, 2005, ISBN 3-8236-1484-3
• Doppler, W. (1992): Agricultural Operating Systems in the Tropics and Subtropics. ISBN 3-8001-4084-5
• Doppler, W. (1985): Planning, Evaluation and Management of Development Projects. ISBN 3-922553-52-4 ; also published in Vietnamese (2008) under ISBN 978-3-8236-1516-3 and in Arabic (2010) under ISBN 978-3-8236-1581-1

National and international mandates

• Head of the international doctoral program at the University of Hohenheim
• Member of various committees of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and the DLG (German Agricultural Society);
• Representative in the German Rectors' Conference;
• "External Examiner" at various universities in developing and emerging countries, such as B. at the University of Serdang, Malaysia and in the doctoral program of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok, Thailand;
• Member of commissions of the European Union for the internationalization of academic courses as well as in the “Peer Review Panel” for the allocation of research funds in Europe;
• President of the European group of IFSA (International Association on Farming Systems Research and Extension) and member of the board of directors of the world organization;
• Vice President of NATURA (Network of European Agricultural Tropically and Subtropically oriented Universities and Scientific Complexes related with Agricultural Development).

literature

• Werner Doppler in: Fellmeth, U. and K. Quast: The Academic Teachers at the University of Hohenheim 1968 - 2005, Stuttgart 2008 (Hohenheimer Themes, special volume, 15th / 16th year) ( ISSN  0942-5209 ), page 95 f .
• Chinedum Nwajiuba (2013): International impacts of thirty years academic teaching and training. In: "Tropical Farming Systems Economics" ( ISBN 978-3-8236-1654-2 ), pages 61 to 68
• Rosemary Otieno (2013): The impact of systems research in PhD programs on development. In. "Tropical Farming Systems Economics" ( ISBN 978-3-8236-1654-2 ), pages 68 to 72
• Luigi Omodei Zorini (2013): Impacts of Werner Doppler. In: "In Tropical Farming Systems Economics" ( ISBN 978-3-8236-1654-2 ), pages 188 to 193

Web links

• Literature by and about Werner Doppler in the catalog of the German National Library
• Werner Doppler on the website of the University of Hohenheim
• CGIAR

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Werner Doppler In: Ulrich Fellmeth , Kathrin Quast (arr.): The academic teachers at the University of Hohenheim 1968-2005. Scripta-Mercaturae-Verlag, Stuttgart 2008, pp. 95f. (online at: uni-hohenheim.de )