MilKey

The Institute of Sociology at the University of Zielona Góra participates in the international research project MilKey – Decision Support System for Sustainable and GHG Optimized Milk Production in Key European Areas.

In Poland, the project is coordinated by the Institute of Environmental Engineering in collaboration with the Institute of Sociology. MilKey is funded under the 2018 Joint Call of the Cofund ERA-Nets: FACCE ERA-GAS (grant no. 696356), SusAn (grant no. 696231), and ICT-AGRI 2 (grant no. 618123). In Poland, the project is financed by the National Centre for Research and Development (grant no. SUSAN/II/MILKEY/02/2020).

The project is led by the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Technology Assessment and Substance Cycles (ATB) in Germany.

Project partners include: Poznań University of Life Sciences (Poland), Agricultural University of Athens (Greece), Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Belgium), Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Ireland), University College Dublin (Ireland),
National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (France), French Livestock Institute (France), and Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (Norway).

Project description

The MilKey project focuses on the development of sustainable dairy production systems in Europe, integrating environmental, economic, and social objectives. In response to increasing global demand for animal-based food products, climate change, and natural resource degradation, the project aims to identify solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance resource efficiency, and improve the quality of life in rural areas.

As a cornerstone of European agriculture, dairy production faces multiple challenges: global market competition, price volatility, rising consumer expectations, and mounting environmental pressures. MilKey goes beyond technological solutions by emphasizing the importance of social research, which provides insights into the conditions under which dairy systems can be transformed in socially just and sustainable ways.

The team of social researchers involved in the project is responsible for:

• Diagnosing the social determinants of sustainability in dairy production across selected European countries (Germany, Greece, Belgium, Ireland, France, Norway, and Poland);
• Assessing the quality of life of small-scale dairy farmers in southern Poland (specifically in the Małopolskie and Podkarpackie regions), including aspects of work, income, family relations, and social ties;
• Examining the role of farmers’ social embeddedness in the adoption of sustainable practices – highlighting the importance of local cooperation, knowledge exchange, and support networks.

Social research provides essential knowledge for ensuring that proposed solutions are not only environmentally and technologically sound, but also feasible and acceptable from the farmers’ perspective.

The project outcomes are collected and made available through the international MilKey knowledge platform, which supports decision-making by farmers, advisors, researchers, consumers, and policymakers. The platform enables comparison of dairy systems across different European regions, taking into account local contexts and sustainability goals.

Project duration: 2020-2023

Funding awarded to the University of Zielona Góra: PLN 684 449,37

National project coordinator: Dr. hab. Wilfried Winiwarter

Lead researcher for the social science component: Dr. Joanna Frątczak-Müller

Project logo: