Food and Resource Economics Department

Patrick Ward

Patrick Ward is an associate professor in the Food and Resource Economics Department within the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) at the University of Florida. Prior to joining the University of Florida, Ward was faculty with the iMEP Program (Master of Environmental Policy) at Duke Kunshan University (DKU) in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, China, and a research fellow in the Environment and Production Technology Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), first in New Delhi, India and later in Washington, DC. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics with a specialization in International Development from Purdue University (USA). Prior to joining IFPRI, Ward spent a short period of time as a visiting researcher with the International Center for Climate Governance (ICCG) in Venice, Italy.

Research

My primary research interests center around sustainable development, with a particular emphasis on developing country agriculture. Having been based in the South Asia region for four years (2012-2016), I have extensive experience conducting research throughout the region (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan). In addition, I have also led or contributed to research on agricultural or development issues in China, Malawi, and Kenya. My current research portfolio includes projects on agricultural risk management (including insurance and other financial products as well as stress-tolerant staple crop cultivars), soil fertility management and soil conservation, inclusive development of rural agricultural machinery markets, and water resource management."

Education
- Ph.D. Agricultural Economics, Purdue University (2011)
- M.A. Economics, Indiana University (2007)
- B.S. Financial Counseling and Planning, Purdue University (2002)