Wendong Zhang
Agricultural Economist | Environmental Economist | Extension Economist
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Wendong Zhang 张文栋
Associate Professor, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University Curriculum Vitae Google Scholar SSRN LinkedIn Cornell Dyson Faculty Website ORCID |
Wendong Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. As an agricultural and environmental economist, his research and extension program focuses on U.S. farmland markets, Chinese agriculture, and the interplay between agriculture and the environment. His recent work combines causal inference methods with novel data sources — including satellite imagery, cellphone mobility data, and participatory science biodiversity data — to inform land, conservation, and trade policy.
He serves as Academic Vice President of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA), Co-editor for Feature Articles at Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy (AEPP), and Associate Editor of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. He previously served as Associate Editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE) from 2020 to 2023. He is a Faculty Fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, and was a Visiting Researcher at Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and National Taiwan University.
His research has been published in journals including AJAE, JEEM, Nature Communications, PNAS, and Food Policy. His work has been covered by over 200 media outlets worldwide, including the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Fortune, Bloomberg, Reuters, and NPR.
Prior to joining Cornell, he was a tenured Associate Professor of Economics at Iowa State University. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in 2015 and a B.Sc. from Fudan University in 2009.
He serves as Academic Vice President of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA), Co-editor for Feature Articles at Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy (AEPP), and Associate Editor of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. He previously served as Associate Editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE) from 2020 to 2023. He is a Faculty Fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, and was a Visiting Researcher at Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and National Taiwan University.
His research has been published in journals including AJAE, JEEM, Nature Communications, PNAS, and Food Policy. His work has been covered by over 200 media outlets worldwide, including the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Fortune, Bloomberg, Reuters, and NPR.
Prior to joining Cornell, he was a tenured Associate Professor of Economics at Iowa State University. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in 2015 and a B.Sc. from Fudan University in 2009.
Recent Highlights:
Do carbon markets promote environmental justice? Evidence from China's certified emission reduction program
Nature Communications · 2025
First causal evidence that carbon pricing reduces pollution disparities in low-income communities, drawing on China's voluntary carbon credit market.
Tracking US hog and pig inventory in real-time using nowcasting
Food Policy · 2026
A nowcasting model using search trends and market signals tracks US hog inventories ahead of official USDA survey releases.
Enrollment restrictions and the adoption of conservation practices in the US Corn Belt
Land Economics · 2025
CRP enrollment caps reduce conservation adoption on non-enrolled land, revealing an unintended spillover from federal program design.
Rice farming for climate change adaptation in the northeastern United States
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) · 2025
Demonstrates the potential of rice cultivation as a climate adaptation strategy in the US Northeast, integrating agronomic, economic, and environmental dimensions across an interdisciplinary team.
Broadband internet speed upgrades and the farmland market
American Journal of Agricultural Economics · 2025
Rural broadband expansion causally raises farmland values and cash rents, identified using a shift-share instrument across 12 Midwestern states.
The impact of solar-enabling legislations on farmland values
Land Economics · 2025
State policies enabling large-scale solar developments increase farmland values within close proximity of electricity transmission lines, due to option value of future solar development opportunities.
See All Peer-Reviewed Publications by Wendong
Do carbon markets promote environmental justice? Evidence from China's certified emission reduction program
Nature Communications · 2025
First causal evidence that carbon pricing reduces pollution disparities in low-income communities, drawing on China's voluntary carbon credit market.
Tracking US hog and pig inventory in real-time using nowcasting
Food Policy · 2026
A nowcasting model using search trends and market signals tracks US hog inventories ahead of official USDA survey releases.
Enrollment restrictions and the adoption of conservation practices in the US Corn Belt
Land Economics · 2025
CRP enrollment caps reduce conservation adoption on non-enrolled land, revealing an unintended spillover from federal program design.
Rice farming for climate change adaptation in the northeastern United States
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) · 2025
Demonstrates the potential of rice cultivation as a climate adaptation strategy in the US Northeast, integrating agronomic, economic, and environmental dimensions across an interdisciplinary team.
Broadband internet speed upgrades and the farmland market
American Journal of Agricultural Economics · 2025
Rural broadband expansion causally raises farmland values and cash rents, identified using a shift-share instrument across 12 Midwestern states.
The impact of solar-enabling legislations on farmland values
Land Economics · 2025
State policies enabling large-scale solar developments increase farmland values within close proximity of electricity transmission lines, due to option value of future solar development opportunities.
See All Peer-Reviewed Publications by Wendong
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News and Updates
July 2026: Co-Editor for Feature Articles, AEPP (Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy) July 2026: Organize the 2026 Chinese Economists Society (CES) China Conference in Chengdu June 2026: 2 New publications at Journal of the ASFMRA May 2026: Best Paper Award, the 8th Wine & Hospitality Workshop, Alliance on Research of Wine & Hospitality March - May 2026: Sabbatical at National Taiwan University February 2026: New publication at Food Policy November 2025: D. Howard Doane Award, American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers |
