Mark Vicol

Mark Vicol is an Assistant Professor of Agrarian Sociology in the Rural Sociology Group at Wagenigen University and co-coordinator of the Critical Agrarian Studies research cluster at the Centre for Space, Place and Society (CSPS). His research focuses on the everyday political economy of agrarian change, exploring how class processes shape livelihood opportunities in rural contexts. Notable work includes studies on contract farming in India, specialty coffee in Indonesia, and value chains in Myanmar's Central Dry Zone. He holds a doctoral degree from the University of Sydney and is a co-founder of the Contract Farming Initiative, a global network for researchers and activists in agrarian studies.

His academic affiliations include Wagenigen University and collaborative roles at CSPS. Research interests emphasize labor dynamics in alternative agriculture and the socio-economic dimensions of agrarian transitions. Vicol's publications appear in leading journals such as World Development and Journal of Peasant Studies.

He actively engages in policy-relevant research on food insecurity and rural development, with fieldwork spanning South and Southeast Asia as well as Europe.