My current research focuses on the environmental impacts of three groups of carbon-reducing technologies in the agriculture bioeconomy and seeks to advise policy regarding their adoption. These technologies are (1) cellulosic ethanol feedstocks (such as bioenergy crops and crop residue), (2) photovoltaic energy generation on farmland (for example, using utility-scale solar or land sharing approaches) and (3) climate-smart practices (such as cover cropping and no-till) in row crop agriculture.
My research primarily investigates why there may be a lack of adoption of these technologies, how policymakers can cost-effectively incentivize their use, or how their adoption affects the agricultural sector. A significant part of my work explores how farmer risk aversion, discounting, credit-constraints, and internalization of private benefits influence adoption decisions. Much of my work is done through economic modeling and cost-benefit analysis, where representative farmers make choices based on costs and benefits. I also rely on surveys of community stakeholders (such as farmers and solar developers) to understand their motivation to adopt or oppose such technologies. My work also includes monetizing the carbon mitigation potential of these technologies through techno-economic analyses and life cycle assessments. Additionally, my work also accounts for the spatial and temporal variability of crop yields, yield risks, costs, and carbon reduction potentials across the rainfed regions of the United States.
Additionally, I am interested in understanding food security in the context of agricultural markets, understanding how price distortions along a value chain may lead to inefficiently structured markets, and the effect of policy interventions.