Wendy Umberger

Biography

Professor Wendy Umberger is the Executive Director of the Centre for Global Food & Resources (GFAR) at the University of Adelaide. The Centre for GFAR was officially launched in 2016 and focuses on economic issues affecting global food and agricultural value chains. The Centre for GFAR was previously the Global Food Studies unit, which was initiated in January 2013 in the Faculty of Professions. Professor Umberger is the current President of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society (AARES http://www.aares.org.au/). She serves on the Governance Board of the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics and the editorial board of Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy. She is also an honourary Fellow of Food Standards Australia New Zealand. She holds a B.S. in Animal Science (1996) and M.S. in Economics (1998) from South Dakota State University and a PhD in Agricultural Economics (2001) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Wendy’s research uses innovative methods to understand drivers of consumer and producer behaviour and the implications of changing behaviour for food systems. This work includes estimating consumer demand for specific credence (quality, safety and health) attributes in food and determining efficient governance systems to verify related attributes. She is also studying the impact of urbanisation, modern retail transformation and development programs on food consumption patterns, diet quality and longer-run health and livelihood implications in Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Fiji. Professor Wendy Umberger is the Executive Director of the Centre for Global Food & Resources (GFAR) at the University of Adelaide. The Centre for GFAR was officially launched in 2016 and focuses on economic issues affecting global food and agricultural value chains. The Centre for GFAR was previously the Global Food Studies unit, which was initiated in January 2013 in the Faculty of Professions. Professor Umberger is the current President of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society (AARES http://www.aares.org.au/). She serves on the Governance Board of the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics and the editorial board of Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy. She is also an honourary Fellow of Food Standards Australia New Zealand. She holds a B.S. in Animal Science (1996) and M.S. in Economics (1998) from South Dakota State University and a PhD in Agricultural Economics (2001) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Wendy’s research uses innovative methods to understand drivers of consumer and producer behaviour and the implications of changing behaviour for food systems. This work includes estimating consumer demand for specific credence (quality, safety and health) attributes in food and determining efficient governance systems to verify related attributes. She is also studying the impact of urbanisation, modern retail transformation and development programs on food consumption patterns, diet quality and longer-run health and livelihood implications in Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Fiji.

Research Interest

Food & Resources