Current Bachelor and Master thesis research topics at the Chair Group of Production and Resource Economics

Note: The thesis research work can be written either in English or German. Research works will be supervised by the academic staff at the Chair Group. Interested students in a given topic can contact Dr. Getachew Abate Kassa (getachew.abate@tum.de) for further information on thesis research procedure and supervision assignments. Following are topics that are currently available for BSc and MSc thesis research at the Chair Group.

Influence of location and land geometry on the prices of agricultural land (M.Sc.-thesis)

Contact: Moritz Ptacek & Fabian Frick

The selling prices of agricultural land should be orientated towards the future revenues to be generated. The correlation between land size and land prices has been the focus of several studies in the past. Hedonic valuation methods have been used to identify factors influencing the price of agricultural land. In addition to the size of the land, the type of land (arable land/grassland), the type of buyer (agricultural/non-agricultural) and the quality of the land also influence the price. However, the question arises as to whether the area size can adequately reflect the influence of the area geometry on the cultivation costs. This is because the cultivation costs per hectare are not only determined by the size of the land, but also to a large extent by the shape of the land. In addition, the transport costs per hectare increase with increasing distance and poor accessibility (road quality, gradient, waiting times). The following research questions arise:

• Is there a connection between the shape of the land and the selling price of agricultural land?
• Do transport costs influence the price of land?
• Are the prices of agricultural land orientated towards the management costs per hectare?

As part of this Master's thesis, your task is to map the current state of scientific knowledge on the factors influencing the prices of agricultural land. You will research available databases that link land prices with geodata (location). You will prepare open access data on land prices and use innovative computer software to calculate the management and transport costs of agricultural land, taking into account the geometry and location of the land. You will set up a simple econometric model in order to analyse the relationship between land prices and land geometry, or the actual cultivation costs, for the first time. Depending on the data available, you will control for other influencing factors that have proven to be significant in central studies in this field of research.

The thesis can be written in English and German. If you are interested, please contact Moritz Ptacek (moritz.ptacek[at]tum.de).

Thesis topics offered in cooperation with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia

1. Qualitative assessment of adoption factors for forage technologies in Latin America
2. In-depth analysis of the extension system for livestock and tropical forages in Colombia and several Central American countries.
3. In-depth analysis of the existing seed systems for tropical forages in Colombia and several Central American countries.

Depending on the topic CIAT offers the chance to do part of the research at their site in Colombia. For more information, please contact philipp.mennig[at]tum.de.