Aaron Scheid

MSc (Global Change Management)

Coordinator Agriculture & Soils

Fellow

Team: Research & Policy Analysis
Topics: Agriculture

Land Use

Food

Aaron Scheid is a Fellow at Ecologic Institute. His areas of expertise are agricultural policy and land use, with a focus on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), carbon farming, carbon pricing mechanisms and nature-based solutions. Aaron Scheid works in English and German.

At Ecologic Institute, Aaron Scheid leads studies on the assessment and evaluation of the Common Agricultural Policy and CAP Strategic Plans. He also contributes to the projects "Capacity Building for Ambitious Climate Action in the Agri-food Sector in Central Eastern Europe, Peatland Rewetting in Nitrogene-Contaminated Environments" (PRINCESS), "Pay as You Eat Meat – A European strategy to internalize the external costs of meat" and supports the Directorate-General for Climate Action in analysing stakeholder feedback to the Call for Evidence, in preparation of an impact assessment on options for the certification of carbon removals. Additionally, he contributes to the Horizon 2020 projects "A European-wide Network of Pilot Farmers for a Carbon Neutral Europe" (Climate Farm Demo) and "Sustainable Plant Protection Transition: A global health approach" (SPRINT).

Before joining Ecologic Institute, Aaron Scheid worked as a research assistant for a member of the German Parliament, focusing on policies related to agriculture, forestry and fisheries in the time period from 2018 until 2021. His work was dedicated mainly to the committee for food and agriculture.

Aaron Scheid has completed a master's degree in Global Change Management at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE). He wrote his thesis on small scale farmers' adaptation measures to fuelwood scarcity in central Tanzania in cooperation with the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF).

Contact Aaron Scheid by Email

Publications Events Presentations

Selected publications by Aaron Scheid

PublicationArticleQuantifying Ecosystem Services of Rewetted Peatlands

Cover of the journal 'Ecological Indicators' from Elsevier. The title is: 'Ecological Indicators: Integrating, Monitoring, Assessment and Management'. The cover shows four pictures connected by arrows: a picture of laboratory bottles, a picture of dead fish, a picture of a man in front of several computer monitors and a picture of a book entitled 'Codex Federal Regulations'. Snow-covered mountains can be seen in the background. The publishers are J.C. Marques and F. Müller.

Peatlands provide numerous important ecosystem services, including climate regulation through carbon sequestration and storage, water regulation, nutrient retention and wildlife habitat. Despite their importance, healthy peatlands worldwide are being reduced and... Read more

Tanneberger, Franziska et al. (2024) 'Quantifying ecosystem services of rewetted peatlands − the MoorFutures methodologies' Ecological Indicators 163 (2024), p. 112048. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112048.

PublicationReportPricing Agricultural Emissions and Rewarding Climate Action in the Agri-food Value Chain

The agriculture and land sectors must mitigate greenhouse gas emissions for the EU to meet its climate targets. In a new report published by the European Commission's DG CLIMA, Ecologic Institute, IEEP, and Trinomics investigate how an emissions trading system (ETS)... Read more

Bognar, Julia et al. 2023: Pricing agricultural emissions and rewarding climate action in the agri-food value chain. Rotterdam: Trinomics.

PublicationReportEnvironment and Climate Assessment of Germany's Cap Strategic Plan

Cover Page of Report on: Environment and climate assessment of Germany’s CAP Strategic Plan

This report identifies and assesses the likely contribution of Germany's CAP Strategic Plan to climate mitigation and adaptation, natural resources, and biodiversity protection. Overall, the findings are that there is potential for an ambitious CAP 2023-2027 period with... Read more

Scheid, A. and S. Ittner (2023) 'Assessment of the German CAP Strategic Plan: environmental and climate contributions', Policy report, Institute for European Environmental Policy and Ecologic Institute

PublicationPolicy BriefTransforming EU Land Use and the CAP: A post-2024 vision

Cover of the policy paper "Transforming EU land use and the CAP: a post-2024 visioni"

Discussions are getting underway on the post-2027 CAP – covering the period up to 2034 – with the Commission's proposals expected in July 2025. These will be drawn up by a new EU administration following the 2024 EU elections. It is in this context that this paper makes... Read more

Baldock, D. and Bradley, H. (2023) ‘Transforming EU land use and the CAP: a post-2024 vision', Policy Paper, Institute for European Environmental Policy

PublicationReportCarbon Farming Co-benefits

Cover of the report "Carbon farming co-benefits. Approaches to enhance and safeguard biodiversity"

On 19 December 2022, at the COP15 in Montreal, 196 countries historically agreed on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which sets global biodiversity targets to stop and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. In coherence with the proclaimed UN decade for... Read more

Scheid, Aaron et al. 2023: Carbon farming co-benefits: Approaches to enhance and safeguard biodiversity. Berlin, Brussels: Ecologic Institute, IEEP.

PublicationReportRole of Soils in Climate Change Mitigation

Cover of the report "Role of soils in climate change mitigation"

This report examines the mitigation potential of climate friendly soil management practices at global, EU and German level, along with key management measures, their co-benefits and trade-offs, and implementation challenges. Globally, soils store two to three times... Read more

Frelih-Larsen, Ana et al. 2022: Role of soils in climate change mitigation. Interim Report. Climate Change 56/2022. German Environment Agency: Dessau-Roßlau.

PublicationFact SheetLow Input Grasslands / Set-aside Areas

Cover of the fact sheet "Low input grasslands / set-aside areas"

Scheid, Aaron et al. 2022: Low input grasslands / set-aside areas. Factsheet. German Environment Agency: Dessau-Roßlau. ... Read more

Scheid, Aaron et al. 2022: Low input grasslands / set-aside areas. Factsheet. German Environment Agency: Dessau-Roßlau.

PublicationFact SheetPrevention of Land Take

1st page of the fact sheet "Prevention of land take"

Scheid, Aaron et al. 2022: Prevention of land take. Factsheet. German Environment Agency: Dessau-Roßlau. ... Read more

Scheid, Aaron et al. 2022: Prevention of land take. Factsheet. German Environment Agency: Dessau-Roßlau.

PublicationReportAlternativen zu chemisch-synthetischen Pestiziden in der Landwirtschaft

What are the alternatives to the use of fungicides, herbicides and insecticides? What potential do they have, and what are the preconditions for their use? Which farming measures minimize weed and parasite infestations? What can be used to attract beneficial insects?... Read more

Scheid, Aaron; May Hobeika; Antonia Riedel 2022: Alternativen zu chemisch-synthetischen Pestiziden in der Landwirtschaft. Zusammenfassung und Überblick zum aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Stand. Berlin: Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V. (BUND)

PublicationPolicy BriefTowards a Transformative Sustainable Food System Legislative Framework

Cover of the Think2030 policy brief "Towards a Transformative Sustainable Food System Legislative Framework"

This Think 2030 policy brief proceeds in five parts. Section 1 defines what a sustainable agri-food system should look like according to the scientific literature and how an Sustainable Food System (SFS) law could bring EU food systems more in line with the evidence.... Read more

Baldock, David et al. 2022: Towards a Transformative Sustainable Food System Legislative Framework. Think2030 Policy Brief.

PublicationArticleFuelwood Scarcity and its Adaptation Measures

In Tanzania, the majority of the rural population still relies on fuelwood as their major source of cooking energy. The adaptation measures of small-scale farmers in response to increasing fuelwood scarcity play a key role in altering the course of nutrition insecurity,... Read more

A Scheid et al 2018 Environ. Res. Lett. 13 095004

PublicationArticleAdapting to Fuelwood Scarcity

About 3 billion people worldwide depend on fuelwood to meet their domestic energy needs. Almost 90% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa use fuelwood-based forms of energy. However, its use is often unsustainable and is one driver of environmental degradation. In... Read more

Scheid A, Hafner JM, Hoffmann H, Kächele H, Uckert G, Sieber S and Rybak C (2019) Adapting to Fuelwood Scarcity: The Farmers' Perspective. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 3:28. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2019.00028

Selected events by Aaron Scheid

EventDigital EventAlternatives to Synthetic Chemical Pesticides in Agriculture

Photo by Jewgenia Stasiok | pixelio.de

Insect mortality, loss of biodiversity in the agricultural landscape, but also pesticide residues in food? Surely no one wants that. As well as pesticides or their degradation products in the soil, water and air. Nevertheless, around 30,000 metric tons of pesticides are... Read more

Digital Event:Alternatives to Synthetic Chemical Pesticides in Agriculture

Date: 23 November 2022
Location: online

Selected presentations by Aaron Scheid

PresentationPanel discussionWhat's in for Climate and Environment?

On 21 March 2023, Aaron Scheid presented Ecologic Institute's analysis of the German CAP Strategic Plan at the NABUtalk on the next CAP reform. He joined State Secretary Silvia Bender and CAP experts Dr. Sebastian Lakner, Sönke Beckmann, and Dr. Norbert Röder to discuss... Read more

Panel discussion:What's in for Climate and Environment?

Date: 21 March 2023
Location: Berlin, Germany

PresentationPanel discussionStocktaking and Alternatives to Pesticides in Agriculture

Photo by Jewgenia Stasiok | pixelio.de

Food is supposed to be healthy and grown sustainably. But in reality, more and more pesticides end up on the fields and thus in our food. Mass pesticide use has devastating effects on health and the environment. Is this really necessary? What are the concrete effects of... Read more

Panel discussion:Stocktaking and Alternatives to Pesticides in Agriculture

Date: 7 February 2023
Location: online

PresentationInterviewAlternatives to Pesticides also Exist for Conventional Agriculture

Diverse crop rotation, mechanical weed control, beneficial insects to protect crops: According to a study commissioned by BUND, standard practice in organic farming could also be used more often by conventional farmers. Aaron Scheid from the Ecologic Institute and... Read more

Interview:Alternatives to Pesticides also Exist for Conventional Agriculture

Date: 23 November 2022
Location: Deutschlandfunk, Germany