Ayako Ebata is an agricultural economist and an Assistant Professor of the Environmental Economics section of the IVM. Her work focuses on unpacking structural determinants of poverty, poor health and environmental injustice in food systems and identifies ways to tackle these issues simultaneously.. In particular, her research focuses on understanding how commercial and private actors contribute to or hinder efforts to achieve social equity and sustainability, and what mechanisms facilitate these actors to be incentivized and held accountable to contribute to public goods. She has particular interests and track records in development, and has worked across Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Prior to joining IVM, Ayako has worked at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the UK, and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Vietnam, Colombia and Lao PDR. She is also a co-founder of Food Equity Centre, a global partnership for research and education focused on equity and justice within food systems.
She is affiliated with IDS in the UK and the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague. She is also a Senior Editor of Food Security, an interdisciplinary journal focused on food security.
Expertise
Political economy of food systems, value chain analysis, livestock production systems, One Health, nutrition security, food equity.
Education
2015: PhD Agricultural Economics, University of Goettingen, Germany
2011: MSc Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
2009: BSc Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
