Staff Biographical Page: Utpal Vasavada

Briefly

Utpal Vasavada is Chief of the Production Economics and Technology Branch in the Resource and Rural Economics Division. The Branch conducts a program of economic research addressing the determinants and effects of production decisions, including the adoption of existing and emerging agricultural production practices, management systems, and technologies. In addition, the Branch serves as a focal point for ERS research on the economics of invasive species management, agricultural biotechnology adoption, organic production, global and U.S. agricultural land use, as well as on production practice and input use data development through the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).

Current Projects

• Economics of Agricultural Production
• Economics of Technology Adoption
• Economics of Invasive Species Management
• Economics of Global Land and Water Use

Background

Utpal joined ERS in 1993 and has served in numerous capacities: as a visiting scholar, an economist, a section leader, a senior economist, and currently as Branch Chief. Before joining ERS, Utpal held academic appointments at the University of Georgia and Laval University. Utpal also served as an Economist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce, and on a detail at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB-OIRA).

Education

Utpal received a Ph.D. and an M.S. degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Professional Affiliations

American Agricultural Economics Association, International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium

Publications

ERS publications by this author

Recent Publications

Dayton Lambert, Glenn Schaible, Rob Johansson and Utpal Vasavada,"The Value of Integrated CEAP-ARMS Data in Conservation Program Analysis," Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 62 (2007): 1-9.

Michael Roberts, David Schimmelpfennig, Elizabeth Ashley, Mark Ash, and Utpal Vasavada, "The Value of Plant-Disease Early Warning Systems: A Case Study of the USDA's Soybean Rust Coordinated Framework," Economic Research Report, ERR-18 (April 2006), 46pp.

Robert Johansson, Joseph Cooper, and Utpal Vasavada. Greener Acres or Greener Waters? Potential U.S. Impacts of Agricultural Trade Liberalization," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Vol. 34/1 (April 2005): 1-12.

Joseph Cooper, Jason Bernstein, Utpal Vasavada and Jean-Christophe Bureau, "The Environmental Byproducts of Agriculture: International Policy Responses," in Global Agricultural Policy Reform and Trade, edited by Joseph Cooper, 2005, 11-38.

John Sullivan and Utpal Vasavada, "U.S. Environmental Regulation and the Location of Hog Production," Agricultural Outlook, AGO-274 (September 2000): 19-23.

Mark Smith, Mark Peters, Utpal Vasavada, and Tom Worth, "Curbing Nitrogen Runoff: Effects on Production and Trade," Agricultural Outlook, AGO-271 (May 2000): 19-21.

Munisamy Gopinath, Daniel Pick, and Utpal Vasavada, "The Economics of Foreign Direct Investment and Trade with an Application to the U.S. Food Processing Industry," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 81 (1999): 442-452.

James Hrubovcak, Utpal Vasavada, and Joseph Aldy, Green Technologies for a More Sustainable Agriculture, Economic Research Service, AIB-752 (1999).

Munisamy Gopinath and Utpal Vasavada, "Patents, R & D, and Market Structure in the U.S. Food Processing Industry," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Vol. 24 (1999): 127-139.

Munisamy Gopinath, Daniel Pick and Utpal Vasavada, "Exchange Rate Effects on the Relationship between FDI and Trade in the U.S. Food Processing Industry," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 80 (1998): 1074-1080 (Invited Paper).

Utpal Vasavada and Kristy Cook, "Short-Run Dynamics of Machinery Demand in Canadian Agriculture," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 44 (1996): 139-150.

Ricardo Quiroga, Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo, and Utpal Vasavada, "The Economic Consequences of Reduced Fertilizer Use: A Virtual Pricing Approach," Applied Economics, Vol. 27 (1995): 211-217.