This volume of proceedings, available as both a hard copy and a pdf file, is an edited compilation of selected contributions to the MACE Conference 2009, held in Berlin, Germany, at the ICC from 14 to 15 January 2009. We would like to thank all those persons and organisations who contributed to the realisation of the MACE Conference 2009 as well as the volume you are holding. First of all, we thank all the lecturers, whose commitment made the conference possible. The conference would not have been successful without the active engagement of such a large number of colleagues from IAMO, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and ATSAF. Thanks to all of them. Furthermore, we appreciate the support provided by the European Union, particulary to the Marie Curie Programme and the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Consumer Protection, and by the ICC Berlin. For improving the book’s language and supporting us in its technical production, our thanks go to JIM CURTISS and SILKE SCHARF, respectively. The papers contained in this volume are presented as submitted by the authors. Thus, each author is fully responsible for their paper’s contents, figures and citations.