Lauren Falcao Bergquist awarded NSF CAREER Grant to study agricultural supply chains

Lauren Falcao Bergquist, Assistant Professor of Economics and Global Affairs at Yale and an affiliate of the Economic Growth Center, has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support her research on agricultural supply chains in Uganda and other lower-income countries.

The $510,000 grant, awarded on February 26, will be distributed over five years through the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program, described by the NSF as “a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.”

Bergquist’s research to date has focused primarily on agricultural markets in Africa. This grant, she says, will allow her to broaden that focus and examine how structural changes in the agriculture sector can drive economic transformation and reduce poverty in emerging economies.

“One path for growth in emerging economies is to shift from subsistence farming of staple crops like maize to high-value, export-oriented products like coffee,” Bergquist said. “This grant gives me the opportunity to study the barriers that prevent this transition and to identify solutions that could promote growth.”

The project will include a range of activities, including policy experiments based in Rwanda, Uganda, and Latin America, as well as an education and mentoring program for Ph.D. students. The findings may inform policy in lower-income countries and guide donor nations in allocating development resources more effectively—a priority as aid budgets face increasing constraints.

For more information, see the NSF Announcement of the award.