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Man Li

Associate professor working with the Invasive Species Collaborative
Man Li headshot
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Location:

Steger Hall 263A
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
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Contact:

man.li@vt.edu

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My research lies at the intersection of natural resource economics, agricultural economics, and development economics. I study how environmental and resource-related stressors—including climate change, water scarcity, land-use change, and other ecological challenges—affect households, communities, and rural economies, and how households adapt through changes in labor allocation, production decisions, and resource use. More broadly, my work examines how policies, institutions, and markets shape these responses and influence long-term economic resilience. My research draws on extensive field experience in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Africa.

News & Media

  • Nature Water — Invited News & Views article
  • Reuters — Op-ed on climate adaptation in agriculture
  • New York Times — Research cited in “Open Up Trade” column

Expertise

  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation
  • Environmental resilience and adaptation
  • Water resource management
  • Land-use change and land management
  • Agricultural and rural development
  • Labor allocation in low-income economies
  • Applied microeconomics, econometrics, and geospatial analysis

Education

  • Ph.D., Agricultural and Resource Economics (major), Oregon State University, USA
    • Statistics (minor), Oregon State University, USA
  • B.A.,   Economics, China Agricultural University, China

My research examines how environmental change influences economic decision-making and resource allocation, with a particular focus on climate change, water resource management, and land-use dynamics. Using applied microeconomic theory, econometrics, and geospatial analysis, I investigate how households, farmers, and rural economies respond to environmental and policy-related challenges. My research is also expanding to examine how biological invasions and other ecological stressors shape economic outcomes, resource use, and adaptation decisions. I have helped secure more than $2.3 million in externally funded research as PI or Co-PI.

Selected Research Projects

  • “Building Resilience: Incentivizing Agricultural Water Conservation in Utah Amid Climate Uncertainty and Prior Appropriation Water Rights,” USDA-NIFA AFRI, $527K; PI: Man Li (08/01/2024–06/30/2026), Wei Zhang (07/01/2026–07/31/2027); 2024–27
  • “Sustaining Maple Syrup Industry under a Changing Climate through Expanding Research and Extension,” USDA-AMS, $499K; PI: Wei Zhang; 2023–26
  • “Voluntary Incentive Policies for Saving Great Salt Lake: A Spatially Explicit Economic Approach to Conserve Agricultural Water,” USU UWRL-Mineral Lease Fund, $15K; PI: Man Li; 2023–24
  • “Agricultural Ecosystem Services: Exploring Models and Methods of Scenario Development along the Wasatch Front, Utah,” USDA-NIFA AFRI, $635K; PI: Daniella Hirschfeld; 2022–26
  • “Understanding Changes in Agricultural Land Use and Land Cover in the Breadbasket Area of the Ganges Basin 2000–2015: A Socioeconomic-ecological Analysis,” NASA-LCLUC, $660K; PI: Liping Di; 2017–20

Virginia Tech

  • AAEC 6524: Environmental Economic Theory and Policy Analysis. Fall 2026

Utah State University

  • APEC 7360: Mathematical Economics II (Ph.D. level). Fall 2020–23, Fall 2025
  • APEC 7500/6500: Natural Resource Economics (Ph.D./M.S. level). Fall 2019, 2022
  • APEC 5560: Natural Resource and Environmental Economics (Undergraduate). Spring 2020, 2021, 2023–2026
  • APEC 7950: Department of Economic Graduate Seminar (Ph.D. level). Fall 2021

Experience

  • Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Virginia Tech, Aug. 2026–present
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Economics, Utah State University, Aug. 2019–June 2026
  • Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Aug. 2013–Feb. 2019
  • Associate Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), July 2010–July 2013

Awards

  • AARES-Wiley Blackwell Award for Best Paper in Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics during 2019
  • Honorable Mention, Outstanding Publication in Environmental and Resource Economics during 2015
  • D. Barton DeLoach Distinguished Scholarship, Oregon State University, OR, USA, 2009–10
  • Robert Johnson Fellowship, Oregon State University, OR, USA, 2006–07
  • University-President’s Award, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China, 1999