David Weiss
David Weiss first completed an apprenticeship as a retail salesman (Edeka) and subsequently pursued training as a gardener specializing in vegetable and herb cultivation (Bioland). Following his vocational education, David Weiss commenced his studies in Ecological Agricultural Sciences at the University of Kassel in the winter semester of 2010. One year later, he also enrolled in Visual Communication at the Kunsthochschule Kassel. In 2014, he achieved a Bachelor's degree through a Transdisciplinary program, encompassing "Visual Communication" and "Ecological Agricultural Sciences." His research endeavor aimed to convey knowledge about climate-adapted sustainable pasture management with cashmere goats in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia to uneducated populations. This initiative received financial support through a scholarship from the German Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL) as part of the Watercope project. In 2015, David Weiss continued his transdisciplinary work as a freelancer for the University of Kassel, focusing on South-West Madagascar. The research theme centered on climate-adapted sustainable land use within the Sulama project, to deliver knowledge to uneducated people. From 2015 to 2017, he pursued a Master's degree in Ecological Agricultural Sciences at the University of Kassel, once again in collaboration with the Kunsthochschule Kassel. This time, his research led him to Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) with a focus on sustainable urban agriculture. The Fiat Panis Foundation supported this endeavor through a scholarship. The research also encompassed the visual perception of images by individuals without formal education as part of the Urban Food Plus project. Since 2016, David Weiss has been freelancing as a lecturer for the University of Kassel in the areas of "Botanical Illustration, History, and Practice" and "Digital Image Editing for Agricultural Scientists." In 2020, he graduated with honors from the Kunsthochschule Kassel, earning a Master of Fine Art in "Illustration and Comic." Subsequently, he was awarded the "Kickstarter Scholarship" for graduates of German art schools by Neustart Kultur. Until 2023, he worked as a freelancer, including engagements with K+S Minerals in Uganda. Since 2023, David Weiss has been employed as a doctoral candidate at the Chair.
Research focus:
- Sales profiling of sheep and goat products
- Image research
Research project:
Verbesserung der Image- und Absatzprofilierung von Schaf- und Ziegenprodukten aus nachhaltiger und ökologischer Landwirtschaft (VIA)The aim of the project is to improve the economic situation of (organic) sheep and goat farming by developing strategies and measures to increase the competitiveness of German sheep and goat products by means of innovative marketing and sales concepts. To this end, the existing research and knowledge gap in the area of consumer perception of (organic) sheep and goat farming and the associated purchasing motives and barriers will be closed.