Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics  People > Faculty > Adelaja

Soji Adelaja

Professor
John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy
Director, Land Policy Institute
Director, Michigan Higher Education Land Policy (MIHELP) Consortium
Director, Land Policy Research Program
Co-Director, People and Land Initiative
Professor in the MSU Departments of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics; Geography; and Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies 

Phone: 517 432-8800x102
FAX: 517 432-8769 
Email: adelaja@landpolicy.msu.edu
Office: 317 Manly Miles Building
Web Page

Ph.D., West Virginia University, 1985
M.S., West Virginia University, 1982
M.S., West Virginia University, 1980
B.S., Pennsylvania State University, 1978

Dr. Soji Adelaja is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy, Director of the Land Policy Institute and Land Policy Research Program at Michigan State University. Soji holds joint faculty appointments as Professor in the MSU Departments of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics; Geography; and Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies. Prior to coming to MSU in 2003, he was at Rutgers University for 18 years, during which period he served as Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dean of Cook College, Executive Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Professor and Chair of Agricultural Food and Resource Economics, Director of the Food Policy Institute, Director of the Food Innovation Center, and Director of the Eco-Policy Center. Soji 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. Soji has a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Mechanization from the Pennsylvania State University, dual Master's degrees in Agricultural Economics and in Economics from West Virginia University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from West Virginia University.

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

Funded Research Projects

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