Dr. Soji Adelaja is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy and Director of the Land Policy Program at Michigan State University. Dr. Adelaja holds joint faculty appointments as professor in the department of Agricultural Economics; Department of Geography; and Department of Community, Agricultural and Recreational Resource Studies. Dr. Adelaja commenced his appointment at MSU on January 1, 2004. Prior to that, he served as the Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Dean of Cook College, the Executive Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension at Rutgers University where he was on the faculty for 18 years. Dr. Adelaja is an eclectic scholar and team builder whose research and outreach programs span a variety of areas. A committed land grant scholar, his work has shaped public policy toward agriculture and other land-based industries at the urban fringe. He is the founder and first director of the Food Policy Institute (FPI), the Food Innovation Research and Outreach Center (FIRE) and the Ecopolicy Center. Dr. Adelaja has received numerous awards for excellence in research and outreach, including the 2003 Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Policy through Economics from NAREA, the Presidential Award for Distinguished Public Service from Rutgers University, the 1999 Person of the Year Award from the National Prepared Foods Association, The 2002 Outstanding Alumni Award from the Pennsylvania State University, and the Governor's Recognition for Outstanding Contributions to the Garden State.

Professional Interests

• Land use policy, including the political economy of up-zoning and down-zoning
• Agricultural policy at the urban fringe, including innovative approaches to open space preservation
• Characteristics of vibrant urban communities
• Economic development of food and natural resource-based industries
• Emerging issues in the food industry
• Strategic planning, capacity building & innovation transfer in higher education

Selected Publications

A. Adelaja. “The 21st Century Land Grant Economist.” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 32 (2), (October 2003) 159-170.

F. Hossain, B. Onyango, A. Adelaja, B. Schilling and B. Hallman, “Product Attributes, Consumer Benefits and Public Approval of Genetically Modified Food” International Journal of Consumer Studies (Oxford University Press), 27 (5), (November 2003) 353-365.

F. Hossain, B. Onyango, A. Adelaja, B. J. Schilling, W. K. Hallman.“ Consumer Acceptance of Food Biotechnology: Willingness to Buy Genetically Modified Food Products.” Journal of International Food and Agribusiness Marketing, (November 2003), 15 (1-2).

A. Adelaja and K. Friedman. “The Political Economy of The Right to Farm.” Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Vol 31, No. 3 (December 1999): 565-579.

A. Adelaja, R. Nayga and Z. Farooq. “Predicting Mergers and Acquisitions in the Food Industry.” Agribusiness: An International Journal, (April 1999): 1-23.

Funded Research Projects

• Research to Support Public Policy Decisions in Michigan. Source: W. K. Kellogg Foundation ($200,000).
• Consumer Perceptions on Food Biotechnology. Source: US Dept. of Agriculture, Initiative for the Future of Foods and Agriculture ($2,500,000).