Hossein Azadi

Professional background: Prof. Dr. Hossein Azadi obtained his first PhD in Agricultural Economics and a second in Human Geography. He is currently a scientific staff at the Department of Geography, Ghent University, Belgium. With about 400 peer-reviewed journal articles, over 13,000 citations, and an h-index of 59, he ranks among the top 3% of global scientists according to the AD Scientific Index. His research focuses on land governance, agroecology, climate change adaptation, and its impacts on small-scale farming systems. He is a member of the editorial board in Land Use Policy, Land Degradation & Development, Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, and Climatic Change. He is also frequently invited to serve as a research project evaluator for different international councils and funding organizations.

Research Focus:
• Human geography
• Land and food policies
• Land governance
• Climate Smart Agriculture
• Agrarian change
• Sustainable livelihood and vulnerability of farmers
• Mixed-methodology (qualitative + quantitative)
• Decision support systems
• Fuzzy modeling

Key Engagements and Contributions:
International projects
Time period Title Contract with Budget (€)
2025-2027 Rethinking Climate-Smart Agriculture: Toward Vulnerable-Smart Agriculture BRA Talent Program (China) 1,250,000
2024-2026 Socio-economic analysis of the building energy management sector PFS-ARES – GEBER
499,996
2024-2025 Evaluation of the Value of Ecosystem Services in the Luki Biosphere Reserve (RB-L) CIFOR-ICRAF 76,953
2024-2025 Assessing the economic and social impacts of regulating the international timber trade in Central Africa: the case of species listed in Appendix II of CITES CIFOR-RESSAC 54,075
2023-2027 Moving Forward to achieving climate-resilient and sustainable European regional economic systems HORIZON-AG 4,723,433
2022-2028 Institutional support from Vietnam National University of Agriculture – VNUA ARES (Belgium-Vietnam) 1,199,999

Presentation Title and Objective: Resilient Agriculture through the Lens of Smallholder Farmers: Developing Tip-Tap Early Warning System

Agriculture has faced growing risks from climate change, where even small environmental shifts can trigger irreversible critical tipping points, threatening productivity, adaptation, and mitigation coping mechanisms. Smallholder farmers, who are particularly vulnerable, often lack timely and accessible early warning mechanisms to mitigate these risks. This discrepancy highlights a significant gap, particularly in aligning Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) with the actual capabilities and practices of these poor farmers. To fill this gap, this study introduces, the “Tip-Tap Warning System”, an innovative, proactive monitoring framework designed to anticipate and prevent climate tipping points before they occur, which is defined as a “tapping point” that refers to critical moments when early warning interventions can prevent climate-related tipping points. The Tip-Tap Warning System strategically identifies and responds to these tapping points to enhance climate resilience. By integrating farmers’ livelihood pentagon assets (natural, social, physical, human and financial) with real-time climate data, machine learning, GIS-based spatial analysis, and predictive modeling, this system provides actionable early warnings designed to address the specific needs of smallholder farmers. Unlike traditional reactive systems, which respond passively after climate change incidents, the Tip-Tap Warning System empowers farmers to implement adaptive strategies actively before these incidents by safeguarding their livelihoods and enhancing the resilience of their farming systems. This early warning system aligns with the concept of Vulnerable-Smart Agriculture (VSA), which prioritizes farmers’ vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities over generic CSA strategies. Through continuous climate risk assessment, threshold mapping, and localized advisory services delivered via mobile apps, SMS, and community networks (e.g., farmers’ cooperatives and local agricultural extension services), the study aims to transform early warning systems into a practical tool for sustainable farming. Accordingly, the current study bridges the gap between climate forecasting and real-world decision-making, fostering climate resilience, and assuring long-term agricultural sustainability and food security.