Alexandra Peralta

Biography

Dr. Alexandra Peralta is a Lecturer in Agricultural and Food Economics with Global Food Studies at the University of Adelaide. She is a development economist with experience on impact evaluation, field experiments and farmer decision-making models. Her recent research focuses on the use of experimental methods to evaluate the impact of value chain development interventions in East Africa and the Pacific. She has conducted impact evaluation of rural development projects with multiple interventions in Nicaragua and Haiti. In Nicaragua she also conducted a field experiment to determine the effects on levels of trust of farmers who participated in a microfinance intervention. She also has research experience in East Africa, where she conducted research on farmers’ decisions on whether to grow trees or crops in the highlands of western Kenya. She has presented her work in the United States, Australia, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, and New Zealand. Before joining GFS Alexandra was working as a Research Associate at the Department of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University. She has experience with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and the International Agroforestry Center (ICRAF). Her current teaching at graduate level focuses on the role of agriculture in economic development, food policy, and agricultural issues in developing countries. Dr. Alexandra Peralta is a Lecturer in Agricultural and Food Economics with Global Food Studies at the University of Adelaide. She is a development economist with experience on impact evaluation, field experiments and farmer decision-making models. Her recent research focuses on the use of experimental methods to evaluate the impact of value chain development interventions in East Africa and the Pacific. She has conducted impact evaluation of rural development projects with multiple interventions in Nicaragua and Haiti. In Nicaragua she also conducted a field experiment to determine the effects on levels of trust of farmers who participated in a microfinance intervention. She also has research experience in East Africa, where she conducted research on farmers’ decisions on whether to grow trees or crops in the highlands of western Kenya. She has presented her work in the United States, Australia, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, and New Zealand. Before joining GFS Alexandra was working as a Research Associate at the Department of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University. She has experience with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and the International Agroforestry Center (ICRAF). Her current teaching at graduate level focuses on the role of agriculture in economic development, food policy, and agricultural issues in developing countries.

Research Interest

Impact of development interventions on poverty reduction and farmers access to markets. Understanding barriers to technology adoption. The use of innovative experimental economics methods to evaluate project impacts and understand farmers’ behavioural changes.