At Laika, we’ve always been drawn to complex societal issues that shape how our world operates. That is why we are excited to announce our new strategic partnership with Climatekos gGmbH, VISTRA Vechta, Fliedner Fachhochschule Düsseldorf (FFH), and KLB Deutschland for their joint research project, SoeTRA—short for Socio-economic Transformation Dynamics of Farms Switching to Alternative Proteins.
If you read that title and think it’s a bit hard to swallow, you’ve just realized what our core challenge is going to be.
The reality check: Navigating a highly charged and complex debate
Today’s farmers are dealing with a multitude of challenges—from extreme weather, ever-changing regulations, and economic uncertainty to complex questions about traditions and values. They operate in a world that increasingly pressures their well-established businesses to change drastically in order to stay competitive, or even survive.
Against this backdrop, the SoeTRA project explores how agricultural businesses can be socio-economically strengthened and supported when they open up to partially integrating new protein sources—like legumes, soy, or mushrooms—into their operations as add ons to animal proteins. As the project evolves, a major focus will be translating scientific data into accessible messages that resonate with farmers on the ground, while also reaching policymakers and regulatory bodies.
Beyond the Ivory Tower: Finding an approachable voice in a contested landscape
Navigating this highly charged landscape requires messaging that is truthful yet simple—far removed from the academic Ivory Tower. It needs to be approachable and invite the main audience (the farmers themselves) to be active participants, as the project’s entire success depends on their involvement.
This demands a fact-based, nuanced narrative that respects the everyday realities of agricultural practice while aiming high to drive meaningful change. Ultimately, the data and knowledge gained from SoeTRA should inform actual policies and help make the transition to alternative protein sources easier and more financially viable for farmers.
The Laika approach: Enablement over execution
Our goal is to build a bulletproof communication foundation and continuously empower the SoeTRA team to confidently navigate their own narrative over the course of the project. Our collaboration is structured to maximize long-term impact through a modular framework—ranging from a deep-dive onboarding audit and a dedicated messaging workshop to methodology transfers and quarterly sparring and supervision sessions.
We are proud to support a project that bridges the gap between science and practice, helping to change the landscape of agriculture and food security for the better.
Welcome to the Laikaverse, SoeTRA!
