Rate My Professor Wanglin Ma

Professor Wanglin Ma serves as Professor of Applied Economics and Head of the Department of Global Value Chains and Trade in the Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce at Lincoln University, New Zealand. He earned his PhD in agricultural economics from the University of Kiel, Germany. Ma joined Lincoln University as a postdoctoral researcher in November 2016, progressed through the ranks, and was promoted to full Professor effective 1 May 2024. He also holds the role of Program Director for the LU-YAU Joint Education Program. Ma supervises master's and PhD students and contributes to teaching in economics-related courses.

Ma's research focuses on agricultural and development economics, employing advanced econometric models to address practical issues such as enhancing farm economic performance, strengthening agrifood systems sustainability, improving household welfare and farmers' subjective well-being, and promoting sustainable rural and agricultural development. His interests include farmer organizations like cooperatives, agricultural technology adoption, climate change adaptation, land transfer, productivity, efficiency, food production and marketing, and agribusiness value chains. He has authored over 160 peer-reviewed articles in leading international journals, two book chapters, and three media articles. Key publications include 'Does cooperative membership improve household welfare? Evidence from apple farmers in China' (2016, 602 citations), 'Agricultural Cooperatives and Investment in Organic Soil Amendments and Chemical Fertilizer in China' (2018, 351 citations), 'The Adoption and Impact of E-commerce in Rural China: Application of an Endogenous Switching Regression Model' (2021, 321 citations), 'Agricultural cooperative membership and technical efficiency of apple farmers in China: An analysis accounting for selectivity bias' (2018, 314 citations), and 'The effect of cooperative membership on agricultural technology adoption extensity in Sichuan, China' (2020, 292 citations). Recently, he edited 'Transforming Smallholder Agriculture Through Mechanization in Asia: Volume 1: Pathways and Policies' and 'Volume 2: Impacts and Policy Options' (2026). His scholarship has amassed over 10,000 citations on Google Scholar with an h-index of 49, ranking him in the top 1.2% of economists globally (RePEc) and among New Zealand's top three economists. Ma's work influences policy, cited in 65 global documents, and he has received multiple research awards, including a 2024 Tripartite Fund grant of $30,000 for a circular bio-economy project. He has delivered public lectures, such as on promoting sustainable agri-food production.