Yacob Abrehe Zereyesus

Economist
816-412-5232
yacob.zereyesus@usda.gov

Google Scholar profile

Briefly

Yacob is an economist in the International Trade and Development Branch of the Market and Trade Economics Division at the Economic Research Service (ERS). His work mainly focuses on international food security.

Background

Yacob served as a research associate professor at Kansas State University prior to joining ERS. At Kansas State, Yacob led and coordinated the collection of population-based household survey data for tracking the progress, and for the achievement of food and nutrition security programs in northern Ghana. His research interests cover a broad range of topics related to food security, including farm production and income, and the dynamics of labor allocations and employment conditions in farm households; the vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation of farm households and operations to shocks; and the consumption of nutritious and safe food. He has a long-standing interest in the adoption and impact assessment of agricultural technologies, with special emphasis on the adoption of modern crop varieties in the Sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere. He taught undergraduate classes in global agricultural development and data analytics in agricultural economics.

Education

Ph.D., Kansas State University, Agricultural Economics, December 2010

M.Sc., Kansas State University, Agricultural Economics, December 2009

M.Sc., The University of Free State, South Africa, Agribusiness, August 2003

B.Sc., University of Asmara, Asmara, Eritrea, Plant Sciences, May 1997

Certificate in Graduate Applied Statistics, Kansas State University, May 2010

Professional Affiliations

American Economic Association (AEA)

Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA)

Selected Publications

Solomon Kibret Abreha, Solomon Zena Walelign, and Y. A. Zereyesus (2020) “Associations between Women’s Empowerment and Child Health Status in Ethiopia” PLoS ONE 15(7).

Vipham, J. L., Y. A. Zereyesus, Amenu, K., S. Alonso, J. B. Ndahetuye, K. Sah, A. Havelaar, and D. Grace (2020) “No food security without food safety: lessons from livestock related research for Global Food Security” Global Food Security, 26, 100382.

Yahaya, I., Zereyesus, Y. A., Nakelse, T., ; Haruna, B. (2019). Complementarity of Technology Adoption and Social Capital Participation: The Case of Systems of Rice Intensification in Ghana. Journal of International Development.

Regier, G., Zereyesus, Y. A., Dalton, T. J., Amanor‐Boadu, V. (2019). Do Adult Equivalence Scales Matter in Poverty Estimates? A Northern Ghana Case Study and Simulation.  Journal of International Development, 31(1), 80-100.

Tsiboe, F, Y. A. Zereyesus, E. Osei, and J. S. Popp. (2018). “Health effects of women’s empowerment in agriculture in Northern Ghana: different patterns by body mass index categories” African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 13(1): 31-43.

Zereyesus, Y. A., and T.J. Dalton (2017).  “Rates of Returns to Sorghum and Millet Research  Investments: A meta-analysis” PLoS ONE 12(7).   

Zereyesus, Y.A. (2017) “Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture and Household-level Health in northern Ghana: A Capability Approach” Journal of International Development, 29: 899-918.

Tsiboe, F., Y. A. Zereyesus, E. Osei, and J. S. Popp (2017) “Effect of Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture on Household’s Nutrition and Food Security in Ghana” Social Indicators Research, 133.

Zereyesus, Y. A. and Featherstone, A. M. (2017) “Empirical analysis of profit maximization and cost minimization behavior of Kansas farms” Applied Economics Letters, 17, 1255-1258.

Zereyesus, Y.A., W.T. Embaye, F. Tsiboe and V. Amanor-Boadu (2017). “Implications of  non-farm work to vulnerability to food poverty – recent evidence from northern Ghana” World Development 90.

Zereyesus, Y.A., A. Shanoyan, K.L. Ross, and V. Amanor-Boadu (2016). “The determinants of household-level well-being in northern Ghana” Development Studies Research. (1):1-10.

Tsiboe, F., Y.A. Zereyesus, and E. Osei (2016). “Non-farm work, food poverty, and nutrient availability in northern Ghana” Journal of Rural Studies, 47, 97-107.       

Zereyesus, Y.A., V. Amanor-Boadu, K.L. Ross, and A. Shanoyan. (2016). “Does Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Matter for Children’s Health? Evidence from Northern  Ghana” Social Indicators Research, (128):1-16.

Ross, K.L., Y.A. Zereyesus, A. Shanoyan, and V. Amanor-Boadu. (2015) “The Health Effects  of Women’s Empowerment: Recent Evidence from Northern Ghana” International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. 18(1): 127-144.

Bruce, A. S., Bruce, J. M., Schurle, B. W., Zereyesus, Y.A. and James, R. (2011). “Implications of Neuroscience Developments in Understanding Human Behavior for Teaching Agricultural Economics/Agribusiness” North American Colleges and Teachers of  Agriculture Journal (September):49-53.

BOOKS

Zereyesus, Y.A., V. Amanor-Boadu, K.L. Ross and C.A. Guvele. March, 2018. “Feed the Future GHANA 2015 Zone of Influence Interim Assessment Report”. Manhattan, KS, USA.

Zereyesus, Y.A., K.L. Ross, V. Amanor-Boadu, and T.J. Dalton. March 2014. “Baseline Feed the Future Indicators for Ghana 2012.” Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS. ISBN 978-0-9898866-0-4 (printed), ISBN 978-0-9898866-1-1 (pdf).