Roman Hinz

I am a researcher working towards socially just and environmentally sustainable land systems, examining how governance arrangements, policies, value chains, and rural livelihoods interact in tropical agricultural-forest landscapes. My work explores how land-use systems and institutional contexts shape livelihoods, equity, and environmental outcomes across local, national, and global scales.

I combine mixed-methods and geospatial modeling with participatory and interpretive social-science approaches, with particular attention to local knowledge, decision-making processes, and how people understand and relate to their environments. This includes household surveys, expert and stakeholder interviews, focus groups, qualitative research, and scenario development.

My doctoral research at the Kassel Institute for Sustainability focuses on equitable low-emission development pathways in Ghana’s AFOLU sector. I also contribute to Germany’s national bioeconomy monitoring system, where I analyze land-use footprints, land-related carbon impacts, and the justice dimensions of emerging bioeconomy transitions.

Before entering academia, I worked in sustainability consulting in Hamburg and Copenhagen, advising companies on responsible supply chains, due diligence, non-financial reporting, and corporate sustainability strategy. This experience enables me to connect academic research with the practical needs of companies, civil-society organizations, and policymakers.

I have collaborated with research institutions worldwide - including research stays at the University of Cambridge (UK) and UNAM (Mexico) - and conducted long-term fieldwork in Ghana, Mexico, and India. Across all projects, I aim to contribute to evidence-based and context-sensitive approaches that strengthen sustainable value chains, support rural wellbeing, help halt deforestation, and foster climate-resilient land-use transformations grounded in local realities and innovation.

Key interests:
Tropical value chains · Land-use governance · Mixed methods · Social sustainability · Livelihoods · Agroforestry · Climate-smart agriculture · Supply-chain governance · Low-emission development · Participatory and interpretive methods · Local knowledge and decision-making · Human–nature relations · Scenario analysis · Land-use modeling