Hayatullah Ahmadzai
Development & Agricultural Economist Hayatullah Ahmadzai
Research Interests: Agricultural & Applied Economics, Environmental Economics, Applied Econometrics, Climate Change, Development Impact Evaluation, Sustainable Development & Agricultural Policy
Affiliation: Centre for Research in Economic Development and International Trade (CREDIT) University of Nottingham
Email: hayatullah.ahmadzai1@nottingham.ac.uk
Email: hayatullah.ahmadzai1@nottingham.ac.uk
Academic Bio
I am a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Economic Development and International Trade (CREDIT), University of Nottingham, UK. I am an applied research economist with keen interests in multidisciplinary areas at the intersection of economics, agriculture, food, and environment. My current research delves into a wide range of economic and environmental issues facing rural and farming communities, with a special focus on low- and middle-income countries, agriculturally marginal areas, and indigenous communities.
I received my PhD in Development and Agricultural Economics from the School of Economics at the University of Nottingham in the UK. Additionally, I hold a masters degree in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University in Indiana USA, and a BSc from Kabul University in Agronomy and Soil Sciences. I am experienced in economic modelling especially applicable in assessing the development impact evaluation of economic interventions and agricultural/environmental policies using quasi-experimental data. I have expertise in data collection, fieldwork and survey design, conducting feasibility studies and economic experiments to assess ex-ante various economic decisions made by different economic agents, such as willingness to pay/accept/participate in adaption of innovative technologies, best management practices, and adaptation strategies. I am skilled in econometric and predictive analytics and analyzing complex datasets using STATA, R, and SPSS.
After the completion of my PhD studies in 2019, I had joined the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Socioeconomic Scientist). At ICBA, my work primarily focused on developing research proposals and designing and implementing research and development projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central Asia Regions. Prior to that, i worked as faculty member (lecturer) in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension at Kabul University in Afghanistan. Additionally, i worked as an Economist with the Comprehensive Agriculture and Rural Development-Facility (CARD-F), an Economic Development Program funded and implemented by the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) to promote sustainable agriculture and rural development in Afghanistan.
My research has been in peer-reviewed journals such as PLOS ONE, Progress in Development Studies, Middle East Development Journal, and Sustainability, as well as policy briefs and other technical documents/reports. I have also contributed to book chapters.
Research Output
(a) Journal Articles (peer-reviewed)
Ahmadzai, H., Tutundjian, S., Malhotra, R. 2023. Empirical Analysis of Impacts of Sand and Dust Storms on Agricultural Productivity in Mongolia. PLOS ONE 18(2): e0269271. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269271
Ahmadzai, H., 2023. The Impact of Sand and Dust Storms on Agriculture Productivity in Iraq. Middle Eastern Development Journal. doi:10.1080/17938120.2023.2166748
Ahmadzai, H.; Tutundjian, S.; Elouafi, I. 2022. Polices for Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihood in Marginal Lands: A review, Sustainability, 13(16) 8692. doi.org/10.3390/su13168692
Talabi, A, Vikram, P, Thushar, S, Hifzurrahman, R, AHMADZAI, H., Nhamo, N, Shahid, M, Singh, R., 2022. Orphan Crops: A Best Fit for Dietary Enrichment and Diversificationn Highly Deteriorated Marginal Environments. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13:839704. doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.839704
Ahmadzai, H., 2021. Hope for Change: Is Diversifying Production Portfolios an Ideal Strategy to Boost Farming Efficiency in Afghanistan?. Progress in Development Studies, 21(3), 1-25. doi.org/10.1177/14649934211031745
Hirich, A.; Rafik, S.; Rahmani, M.; Amira, F.; Azaykou,F.; Filali, K.; Ahmadzai H.; Jnaoui,Y.; Soulaimani, A.; Moussafir, M.; et al., 2021. Development of quinoa value chain to improve food and nutritional security in rural communities in Rehamna, Morocco: lessons learned and perspectives. Plants 10(2), 301. doi.org/10.3390/plants10020301
Ahmadzai, H., 2020. How is Off -farm Income Linked to On-farm Diversification? Evidence from Afghanistan Studies in Agricultural Economics, Studies in Agricultural Economics, 122 (1), 1–12. doi.org/10.7896/j.2010.
Ahmadzai, H., 2020. Trends in Quinoa Adoption in Marginal Areas, Economic Viability, and Policy Outlook, Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development 57 (3), 235–247. doi.org/10.17306/J.JARD.2020.01351
(b) Book Chapters
Azam-Ali, S., Ahmadzai, H., Choudhury, D., Goh, E.V., Jahanshiri, E., Mabhaudhi, T., Meschinelli, A., Modi, A.T., Nhamo, N., Olutayo, A., 2023. Marginal Areas and Indigenous People Priorities for Research and Action, in: von Braun, J., Afsana, K., Fresco, L.O., Hassan, M.H.A. (Eds.), Science and Innovations for Food Systems Transformation. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp. 261–279. 10.1007/978-3-031-15703-5_14
Lyra D., Ahmadzai H., et al. 2021. From Desert Farm to Fork: Value Chain Development for Innovative Salicornia-based Food Products–A Case Study in the United Arab. In: Saline futures: state-of-the-art in saline agriculture. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. doi.org/10.1201/9781003112327-11
(c) Published Research Papers
Ahmadzai H. (2018). Tests for Separability and Factor Market Participation in Afghanistan. School of Economics, UoN, CREDIT Research Paper 18/10.
Ahmadzai, H. (2017). Crop Diversification and Technical Efficiency in Afghanistan: Stochastic Frontier Analysis. School of Economics, UoN, CREDIT Research Paper 17/04.
Ahmadzai, H. (2017). Status, Patterns, and Microeconomics Drivers of the Extent of Diversity in Crop Production: Evidence from Afghanistan. School of Economics, UoN, CREDIT Research Paper 17/07
(d) Policy Papers
Ahmadzai, H., Tutundjian, S., Dale, D., Brathwaite, R., Lidderr, P., Selvaraju, R., Malhotra, A., Boerger, V. & Elouafi, I. 2022. Marginal lands: potential for agricultural development, food security and poverty reduction. SOLAW21 Technical background report. Rome, FAO. doi.org/10.4060/cc2838en
Sayed A., Ahmadzai H., Choudhury D., Goh E., Jahanshiri, E., Mabhaudhi T., Meschinelli A., Thembinkos A., Nhamo N., Talabi A., 2021. Marginal areas and indigenous people Priorities for research and action. Food Systems Summit Brief prepared by Research Partners of the Scientific Group for the Food Systems Summit 2021. doi.org/10.48565/fd4f-rk35
Ahmadzai H., 2021. Regional Policies for Combating Sand and Dust Storms in Northeast and West Asia : A Policy Brief (download pdf)
(e) Working Papers and Manuscript in preparation
Ahmadzai, H, Morrissey, O., 2024. Climate Crisis in Afghanistan: Micro-Level Insights into the Impact of Natural Disasters on Household Food Security and Welfare. CREDIT Research Paper
Ahmadzai H., Morissey O., 2023. Crop Diversification and Farm Household Welfare during Conflict: Afghanistan 2011-2017. Centre for Research in Economic Development and International Trade (CREDIT) Research Paper.
(f) Dissertations
Ahmadzai, Hayatullah (2019) Development and diversification of small-scale agriculture in Afghanistan. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
Ahmadzai, H., 2011. On-farm Grain Storage Losses: Potential Gains from Improved Storage Facility and Management Practices in Afghanistan. Master’s Thesis, Purdue University.
I am a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Economic Development and International Trade (CREDIT), University of Nottingham, UK. I am an applied research economist with keen interests in multidisciplinary areas at the intersection of economics, agriculture, food, and environment. My current research delves into a wide range of economic and environmental issues facing rural and farming communities, with a special focus on low- and middle-income countries, agriculturally marginal areas, and indigenous communities.
I received my PhD in Development and Agricultural Economics from the School of Economics at the University of Nottingham in the UK. Additionally, I hold a masters degree in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University in Indiana USA, and a BSc from Kabul University in Agronomy and Soil Sciences. I am experienced in economic modelling especially applicable in assessing the development impact evaluation of economic interventions and agricultural/environmental policies using quasi-experimental data. I have expertise in data collection, fieldwork and survey design, conducting feasibility studies and economic experiments to assess ex-ante various economic decisions made by different economic agents, such as willingness to pay/accept/participate in adaption of innovative technologies, best management practices, and adaptation strategies. I am skilled in econometric and predictive analytics and analyzing complex datasets using STATA, R, and SPSS.
After the completion of my PhD studies in 2019, I had joined the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Socioeconomic Scientist). At ICBA, my work primarily focused on developing research proposals and designing and implementing research and development projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central Asia Regions. Prior to that, i worked as faculty member (lecturer) in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension at Kabul University in Afghanistan. Additionally, i worked as an Economist with the Comprehensive Agriculture and Rural Development-Facility (CARD-F), an Economic Development Program funded and implemented by the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) to promote sustainable agriculture and rural development in Afghanistan.
My research has been in peer-reviewed journals such as PLOS ONE, Progress in Development Studies, Middle East Development Journal, and Sustainability, as well as policy briefs and other technical documents/reports. I have also contributed to book chapters.
Research Output
(a) Journal Articles (peer-reviewed)
Ahmadzai, H., Tutundjian, S., Malhotra, R. 2023. Empirical Analysis of Impacts of Sand and Dust Storms on Agricultural Productivity in Mongolia. PLOS ONE 18(2): e0269271. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269271
Ahmadzai, H., 2023. The Impact of Sand and Dust Storms on Agriculture Productivity in Iraq. Middle Eastern Development Journal. doi:10.1080/17938120.2023.2166748
Ahmadzai, H.; Tutundjian, S.; Elouafi, I. 2022. Polices for Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihood in Marginal Lands: A review, Sustainability, 13(16) 8692. doi.org/10.3390/su13168692
Talabi, A, Vikram, P, Thushar, S, Hifzurrahman, R, AHMADZAI, H., Nhamo, N, Shahid, M, Singh, R., 2022. Orphan Crops: A Best Fit for Dietary Enrichment and Diversificationn Highly Deteriorated Marginal Environments. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13:839704. doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.839704
Ahmadzai, H., 2021. Hope for Change: Is Diversifying Production Portfolios an Ideal Strategy to Boost Farming Efficiency in Afghanistan?. Progress in Development Studies, 21(3), 1-25. doi.org/10.1177/14649934211031745
Hirich, A.; Rafik, S.; Rahmani, M.; Amira, F.; Azaykou,F.; Filali, K.; Ahmadzai H.; Jnaoui,Y.; Soulaimani, A.; Moussafir, M.; et al., 2021. Development of quinoa value chain to improve food and nutritional security in rural communities in Rehamna, Morocco: lessons learned and perspectives. Plants 10(2), 301. doi.org/10.3390/plants10020301
Ahmadzai, H., 2020. How is Off -farm Income Linked to On-farm Diversification? Evidence from Afghanistan Studies in Agricultural Economics, Studies in Agricultural Economics, 122 (1), 1–12. doi.org/10.7896/j.2010.
Ahmadzai, H., 2020. Trends in Quinoa Adoption in Marginal Areas, Economic Viability, and Policy Outlook, Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development 57 (3), 235–247. doi.org/10.17306/J.JARD.2020.01351
(b) Book Chapters
Azam-Ali, S., Ahmadzai, H., Choudhury, D., Goh, E.V., Jahanshiri, E., Mabhaudhi, T., Meschinelli, A., Modi, A.T., Nhamo, N., Olutayo, A., 2023. Marginal Areas and Indigenous People Priorities for Research and Action, in: von Braun, J., Afsana, K., Fresco, L.O., Hassan, M.H.A. (Eds.), Science and Innovations for Food Systems Transformation. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp. 261–279. 10.1007/978-3-031-15703-5_14
Lyra D., Ahmadzai H., et al. 2021. From Desert Farm to Fork: Value Chain Development for Innovative Salicornia-based Food Products–A Case Study in the United Arab. In: Saline futures: state-of-the-art in saline agriculture. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. doi.org/10.1201/9781003112327-11
(c) Published Research Papers
Ahmadzai H. (2018). Tests for Separability and Factor Market Participation in Afghanistan. School of Economics, UoN, CREDIT Research Paper 18/10.
Ahmadzai, H. (2017). Crop Diversification and Technical Efficiency in Afghanistan: Stochastic Frontier Analysis. School of Economics, UoN, CREDIT Research Paper 17/04.
Ahmadzai, H. (2017). Status, Patterns, and Microeconomics Drivers of the Extent of Diversity in Crop Production: Evidence from Afghanistan. School of Economics, UoN, CREDIT Research Paper 17/07
(d) Policy Papers
Ahmadzai, H., Tutundjian, S., Dale, D., Brathwaite, R., Lidderr, P., Selvaraju, R., Malhotra, A., Boerger, V. & Elouafi, I. 2022. Marginal lands: potential for agricultural development, food security and poverty reduction. SOLAW21 Technical background report. Rome, FAO. doi.org/10.4060/cc2838en
Sayed A., Ahmadzai H., Choudhury D., Goh E., Jahanshiri, E., Mabhaudhi T., Meschinelli A., Thembinkos A., Nhamo N., Talabi A., 2021. Marginal areas and indigenous people Priorities for research and action. Food Systems Summit Brief prepared by Research Partners of the Scientific Group for the Food Systems Summit 2021. doi.org/10.48565/fd4f-rk35
Ahmadzai H., 2021. Regional Policies for Combating Sand and Dust Storms in Northeast and West Asia : A Policy Brief (download pdf)
(e) Working Papers and Manuscript in preparation
Ahmadzai, H, Morrissey, O., 2024. Climate Crisis in Afghanistan: Micro-Level Insights into the Impact of Natural Disasters on Household Food Security and Welfare. CREDIT Research Paper
Ahmadzai H., Morissey O., 2023. Crop Diversification and Farm Household Welfare during Conflict: Afghanistan 2011-2017. Centre for Research in Economic Development and International Trade (CREDIT) Research Paper.
(f) Dissertations
Ahmadzai, Hayatullah (2019) Development and diversification of small-scale agriculture in Afghanistan. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
Ahmadzai, H., 2011. On-farm Grain Storage Losses: Potential Gains from Improved Storage Facility and Management Practices in Afghanistan. Master’s Thesis, Purdue University.
Contact information
School of EconomicsUniversity of NottinghamNottingham UK NG7 2RDEmail: hayatullah.ahmadzai1@nottingham.ac.uk ahmadzaihayat@outlook.com Phone: +44 (0) 777 416 7116
School of EconomicsUniversity of NottinghamNottingham UK NG7 2RDEmail: hayatullah.ahmadzai1@nottingham.ac.uk ahmadzaihayat@outlook.com Phone: +44 (0) 777 416 7116