Xueqin Zhu

Xueqin Zhu is an Associate Professor at the Environmental Economics and Natural Resources group (TERN) within the Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS) at Wageningen University & Research. Their research focuses on environmental policy analysis, agricultural sustainability, and rural development in China and other developing regions. Key areas include land tenure security, collective action in irrigation systems, and the economic impacts of migration on farming systems.

Zhu's work integrates economic theory with behavioral insights, examining how psychological factors like risk attitudes influence agricultural practices such as fertilizer use and technology adoption. They have published extensively on topics ranging from sustainable dairy production optimization to the efficacy of China's Rural Human Settlements Improvement programs. Recent studies explore the interplay between policy reforms, environmental outcomes, and smallholder farmer livelihoods.

Notable projects include analyzing the Belt and Road Initiative's impact on agricultural trade, evaluating water management strategies in the Pearl River Basin, and modeling sustainable food systems using general equilibrium frameworks. Zhu supervises multiple PhD candidates focusing on topics like green manure systems, socio-economic impacts of garlic planting bans, and social welfare optimization in livestock-crop integration.

Collaborations span institutions in China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Europe, reflecting Zhu's global perspective on solving complex environmental and development challenges. Their research emphasizes practical policy solutions, combining quantitative modeling with qualitative insights from field studies.