Knowledge the value of agricultural innovation and technological innovation

Agricultural innovation and technology and their part in agricultural productiveness will be a key concentration for Xudong Rao, Ph.D., a new exploration affiliate professor in the Office of Agricultural Economics in the Texas A&M Faculty of Agriculture and Existence Sciences.    

Together with conducting extensive analysis on innovation and technological know-how adoption in agriculture, Rao has made novel procedures for analyzing their economic impression. His know-how also extends into the locations of hazard and financial management for farms and agribusinesses, global agricultural growth, and food items and agricultural coverage.

“Dr. Rao is a assumed leader in the economics of agricultural innovation, efficiency and performance, and his scholarly works have been released in some of the most reputable agricultural and utilized economics journals,” said Rudy Nayga, Ph.D., head of the Section of Agricultural Economics and recent president of the Agricultural and Utilized Economics Association.

“We are glad to have someone of his caliber sign up for our department and feel his do the job will greatly gain the section and Texas A&M AgriLife Investigation as he collaborates with researchers in our quite a few Texas A&M AgriLife Investigation and Extension Centers situated through the condition.”

Rao earned his doctorate in applied economics at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Prior to coming to Texas A&M, he was an assistant professor in the Office of Agribusiness and Utilized Economics at North Dakota Point out University.

His get the job done has appeared in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, European Overview of Agricultural Economics, Journal of Efficiency Examination, Planet Progress, and Food stuff Plan. He also serves as an associate editor for the intercontinental journal, Food stuff Security, published by Springer.

Focus on agricultural innovation, know-how

“Agriculture not only impacts the welfare of people and families but also the availability of food stuff supplies on a world-wide scale,” Rao mentioned. “And agricultural productivity hinges largely upon agricultural producers’ option of know-how, inputs and administration tactics.”  

His research has also tackled the validation and quantification of how investments in agricultural exploration and advancement pay out off for producers, shoppers and society, as perfectly as notify policy makers.

Rao said his analysis will insert to the collective knowledge of how agriculture can benefit from existing technologies and how we could possibly adapt recent agricultural markets and policies for emerging technologies.

“Many universities and state agencies like these incorporated in Texas A&M AgriLife acquire federal and condition funding to guidance their agricultural exploration,” he reported. “My investigate on the financial evaluation of agricultural exploration investments will present evidence of the far-reaching impact of these sorts of investments and aid in placing long term policy priorities.”

Peer researchers, policy makers and intercontinental institutions have all revealed an desire in Rao’s investigation on agricultural analysis and advancement analysis. In a broadly circulated analyze, Rao and his collaborators identified that international agricultural exploration done around the previous five  many years created financial gains of at the very least 10 periods the volume invested.

The throughout the world relevance of agriculture

A self-described foodie, Rao explained he has usually been curious about the large varieties of food made out there to people today in the distinctive parts of the planet the place he has traveled or lived. These consist of Asia, Africa, Australia and North America.

“I have attributed this fantastic achievement of our fashionable earth to agriculture and its fundamental economics, which is a area that has usually been neglected but issues pretty considerably to the life and livelihoods of individuals around the world,” he stated. 

As both of those an employee and a collaborator with educational establishments of various measurements on distinct continents, Rao claimed Texas A&M University has prolonged impressed him by its pursuit of excellence, determination to serving the public and aid of its staff members.

“I uncover very few establishments in the world improved than Texas A&M for doing agricultural exploration,” he mentioned. “While I was working in Europe, I acquired of Dr. Nayga and his accoladed investigate on foods and health economics, so I really feel extremely lucky to have the prospect to do the job with him and a lot of other noteworthy agricultural economists in the similar division.”

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