Hannah van Zanten

Visiting Professor, Global Development Section

About

Dr. Hannah van Zanten is a visiting professor in the Department of Global Development at Cornell CALS. She is Associate Professor at the Wageningen University Farming Systems Ecology group and the project leader of the circular food systems project. It is her ambition to unravel how circular food systems can contribute to producing healthy foods for a growing population within the carrying capacity of the Earth. She recently was awarded the NWO Talent Scheme grant (VENI) in which she aims to assess the role of animals in a circular food system. Her research shows that farm animals reared under a circular paradigm can play a crucial role in feeding humanity, while reducing the environmental impact.

Education

MS in Animal Science, Wageningen University (2009)
Ph.D., Wageningen University

Contact Information

- Circular Food Systems
- Wageningen University profile

Hannah in the news

An assortment of apples and other produce

News

October 3, 2025

Sustainable practices could cut food-related emissions in half

Food systems make up roughly 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions globally. But transforming them could cut these emissions by more than half, according to a report released Oct. 3 from a commission of global experts.

Cornell Atkinson
Agriculture
Climate Change

News

April 18, 2023

Study explores what will we eat in a circular food system

The EU wants to make the transition to a circular food system, where waste is minimized, waste products are recycled and our impact on the planet is reduced. But what will we eat in the circular food system? What kinds of animals will we keep? And what crops will we grow? A new study, published on April 17 in Nature Food, outlined the opportunities for the EU & the UK (EU27+UK) in four scenarios, starting with the current system and culminating in a fully circular food system.

Cornell Atkinson
Global Development Section
Agriculture