The 54th Annual SGA Conference 2026 brings together leading researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to explore one of the most urgent challenges of our time: how to strengthen economic and social resilience in the agricultural and food sector. Hosted at BFH-HAFL in Zollikofen, the conference offers a high-quality scientific program, multilingual sessions, and valuable opportunities for networking across Switzerland and beyond.

Why Focus on Resilience in Agriculture and Food Systems?

In recent years, global disruptions — including climate change, geopolitical instability, supply chain shocks, labor shortages, and shifting societal expectations — have exposed critical vulnerabilities within agri-food systems. Ensuring that agriculture can withstand, adapt to, and transform in response to these challenges is essential for:

• long-term food security,

• environmental sustainability,

• social equity, and

• economic viability.

The conference will examine resilience through multiple lenses, drawing on concepts such as robustness, adaptability, and transformability, and building on the latest research (e.g. Meuwissen et al., 2019).

Conference Focus 2026

The SGA Conference 2026 invites contributions that address the economic, social, environmental, and policy dimensions of resilience from production to consumption. We welcome interdisciplinary work from agricultural economics, sociology, political science, sustainability studies, and related fields.

Key Themes Include:

• Concepts and metrics for assessing resilience across scales and agri-food value chains

• Synergies and trade-offs between resilience and other priorities (productivity, sustainability, equity)

• Interconnections between agri-food resilience and other systems (energy, transport, labor, logistics)

• Social dimensions of resilience: communities, labor markets, gender, and rural livelihoods

• Economic tools and incentives for building resilience at farm, regional, and national levels

• Governance, policy instruments, and institutional innovations supporting resilient food systems

• Case studies and empirical evaluations of resilience strategies

• Advances in data, modeling, monitoring, and evaluation

• Lessons from global disruptions such as pandemics, conflicts, and climate extremes

The conference encourages international participation and welcomes contributions from professionals and researchers worldwide.

Program Format

• Parallel sessions in English, German, and French
  (Note: no simultaneous translation will be provided.)

• Keynotes, oral presentations, and poster sessions

• Awards for Best Poster and Best Presentation

• Networking opportunities with Swiss and international experts across the agri-food sector

Who Should Attend?

• Agricultural and food economists

• Rural sociologists and social scientists

• Sustainability and policy experts

• Representatives from government, NGOs, and international organizations

• Practitioners and stakeholders across the agri-food value chain

• Students and early-career researchers