Suraksha Baral
Third-year Ph.D. student in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE)
About
I'm Suraksha Baral, a third-year Ph.D. student in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE) at The Ohio State University.
My research explores how individuals make everyday decisions that influence food systems, sustainability, and the use of technology. I'm especially interested in how economic behavior, social norms, and information drive actions related to food, the environment, and equity. I approach these questions through a combination of behavioral economics, policy analysis, and data-driven methods, including the application of machine learning for modeling and inference, often focusing on how subtle shifts in context can lead to significant changes in outcomes.
I'm also curious about the evolving role of technology, especially artificial intelligence, in shaping how we communicate, access information, and make decisions within agriculture and food systems.
Education
Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics
2023 - Present (with a Graduate Minor in Computer Science)
Advisor: Dr. Brian Roe
Master of Science in Agricultural Economics
2023
Athens, Georgia, USA
Committee: Dr. William Secor (Chair), Dr. Gopinath Munisamy, Dr. Berna Karali
Thesis: The Effect of Different Food Form Consumption on Total Calorie Intake
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture
Agriculture and Forestry University
2019
Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal
Major Advisor: Dr. Arvind Srivastava
Thesis: Awareness, Perception, and Determinants of Coffee Farming in Gulmi District of Nepal
Research Interests
Behavioral Economics
Understanding how psychological, social, and emotional factors influence economic decisions.
Agriculture and Food Policy
Analyzing policies that affect food systems, sustainability, and agricultural practices.
Artificial Intelligence
Exploring AI's role in agricultural decision-making and food system optimization.
Gender Equality
Investigating gender disparities in agricultural and economic contexts.
Publications & Presentations
Published Papers
Adhikari, S., & Baral, S. (2025). What's your platform? Introducing the platform theory in agricultural communication.
Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 32(1), 5.
Baral, S., Bhatta, S., Adhikari, S., & Bajal, S. (2021). Production and marketing channel of potato in Jhapa District, Nepal.
Food & Agribusiness Management (FABM), 2(1), 42–45.
Bhatta, S., Baral, S., & Datta, J. P. (2021). An economic analysis of honey production in Chitwan District, Nepal.
American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, 15, 132–137.
Belbase, S., Tiwari, A., Baral, S., Banjade, S., & Pandey, D. (2020). Study of improved mandarin (Citrus reticulate Blanco) orchard management practices in midhills in Gandaki Province, Nepal.
Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture (MJSA), 4(2), 79–83.
Bajal, S., Subedi, S., & Baral, S. (2019). Utilization of agricultural wastes as substrates for vermicomposting.
IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences (IOSR-JAVS), 12(8), 79–84.
Under Review
Adhikari, S., Buck, E., Timilsina, R., Baral, S., & Dhital, P. R. (in review). Characteristics, attitudes, and perceived usefulness of social media use by government agricultural extension workers in Nepal.
Manuscript submitted for publication to The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension.
Work in Progress
From bins to behavior: How enrollment strategies shape composting
Baral, S., Sheridan, M., Lowe, M., & Roe, B.
Norm-based messaging and household food waste reduction
Baral, S., Neubig, C. M., & Roe, B.
Willingness to pay for generative AI: The role of motivation in student decisions
Baral, S., Adhikari, S., & Buck, E.
A portrait of artificial intelligence use cases in the United States Department of Agriculture
Adhikari, S., Sikdar, S., Baral, S., & Buck, E.
Framing food justice through intersectional perspectives
Baral, S., & Adhikari, S.
Conference Presentations
Adhikari, S., Baral, S., & Buck, E. (2025, May 19–22). Artificial intelligence use in education: A technology acceptance model perspective [Poster presentation].
American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) Conference, Lubbock, Texas.
Adhikari, S., Baral, S., & Buck, E. (2025, May 19–22). Determining the self: An exploration of student motivation toward using generative artificial intelligence [Poster presentation].
American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) Conference, Lubbock, Texas.
Adhikari, S., Baral, S., & Buck, E. (2025, May 19–22). Knowledge of Nepalese farmers about agricultural commercialization [Poster presentation].
American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) Conference, Lubbock, Texas.
Baral, S., Sheridan, M., Lowe, M., & Roe, B. (2025, April 10). From bins to behavior: How enrollment strategies shape composting [Poster presentation].
CFAES Research Forum 2025, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Adhikari, S., Baral, S., & Buck, E. (2025, April 10). Bleeding inequality: The nexus of menstrual taboos and food injustice in rural Nepal [Poster presentation].
CFAES Research Forum 2025, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Adhikari, S., Sikdar, S., Baral, S., & Buck, E. (2025, March 31–April 2). Positioning the priorities: Is artificial intelligence a priority of the USDA? [Poster presentation].
4th Annual AI in Agriculture Conference, Starkville, Mississippi.
Baral, S. (2023). Determinants of consumption of different food forms: An NHANES-based study [Paper presentation].
Southern Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA) Conference, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Baral, S. (2022, September 17). Participation in the 26th Annual Student Leadership Conference.
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Bajal, S., Timilsina, R. H., Sapkota, S., & Baral, S. (2020, August). Factors affecting adoption of farm machineries in Maize Zone, Rolpa, Nepal [Paper presentation].
Himalayan Knowledge Conclave, Graduate Conference.
Baral, S. (2019, June). Potential of underexploited crops in promoting food security in Nepal [Poster presentation].
Global Initiatives in Agricultural and Applied Sciences for Eco-Friendly Environment, Third International Conference, Kathmandu, Nepal. (Best Poster Presentation Award)
Baral, S. (2018, March). Consumer preference and demand of ground apple in different agro-ecological zones of Nepal [Paper presentation].
International Conference on Food and Agriculture, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India. (Best Oral Presentation Award)
Outreach Report
Katchova, A., Baral, S., Ju, R., & Zulauf, C. (2024, July 29). Number of farms and land in farms in the Midwest.
farmdoc daily, 14(140). Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2024/07/number-of-farms-and-land-in-farms-in-the-midwest.htmlAwards & Achievements 🏆
Awards & Recognition
Finalist, Edward F. Hayes Advanced Research Forum
The Ohio State University, 2025
Third Place, Annual CFAES Poster Competition
The Ohio State University, April 10, 2025
Best Oral Presenter, International Conference on Food and Agriculture
Jharkhand, India, 2018
Winner, Greenovation Start-Up Challenge
World Wildlife Fund, 2016
Merit-Based Scholarship Recipient
Agriculture and Forestry University, Full Scholarship for all semesters
Professional Service
Reviewer for CFAES INTERNAL GRANTS PROGRAM (IGP)
The Ohio State University, 2025
Memberships & Affiliations
Executive Member, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics Graduate Student Association (GSA)
The Ohio State University, 2024-2025
Member, Nepalese Students' Association
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 2022
Co-Founder, My Climate Campaign
Rampur, Chitwan, 2018
Vice President, Nepal Youth Red Cross Circle
Rampur, 2017-2018
Member, Rampur Youth Network, Amnesty International
2016-2017
President, Nepal Junior Red Cross Circle
Jhapa, 2011
Trainings & Workshops
International Workshop on Survey Design and Experimental Methods
Michigan State University, May 26–30, 2025
Second IZA Workshop: "Climate Change and Human Wellbeing"
Organized by Institute of Labor Economics, September 26, 2022
Training on Climate Justice
Organized by Digo Bikash Institute, May 11-14, 2018
Training on Climate-Smart Agriculture and Soils
Organized by The Ohio State University at 2nd International Conference on Food & Agriculture 2018, Dhanbad, Jharkhand
Training on Entrepreneurship
Organized by Nepal Entrepreneurship Hub and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), November 10-20, 2016
Training on ICT
Organized by the Agriculture Student Liaison Forum in collaboration with the Agriculture and Forestry University, July-August, 2016
Training on Professional Technical Writing
Organized by the Agriculture Student Liaison Forum in collaboration with the Agriculture and Forestry University, April 25-26, 2016
National Leadership Development Training
Organized by Nepal Youth Red Cross Circle in collaboration with Agriculture and Forestry University, February 2-4, 2016
Experience
Graduate Research Associate
Working with Dr. Brian Roe, The Ohio State University
Aug 2024 - Present
Conducting research in behavioral economics and agricultural policy analysis.
Graduate Research Associate
Farm Income Enhance (FIE) Program, The Ohio State University
May 2024 - Dec 2024
Advisor: Dr. Ani Katchova
Research on farm income enhancement strategies and agricultural economics.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of Georgia
Jan 2023 - May 2023
Advisor: Dr. Daniel Remar
Course: HFIM 4580 Meeting and Event Planning
Assisted in teaching and course management for hospitality and food industry management.
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Georgia
2021 - 2023
Worked with Dr. Benjamin Campbell
Conducted research in agricultural economics and policy analysis.
Agriculture Coordinator
Durga Devi Technical School, Achham, Nepal
Dec 2020 - May 2021
Coordinated agricultural programs and technical training initiatives.
Research Assistant
National Oilseed Research Program, Sarlahi, Nepal
Aug 2019 - Sep 2020
Conducted research on oilseed production and agricultural development.
Agriculture Intern
Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project (PMAMP) Coffee Super Zone, Gulmi, Nepal
Dec 2018 - Jun 2019
Worked on coffee production and agricultural modernization initiatives.
Research Assistant
Grain Legumes Research Program, Khajura, Banke, Nepal
May 2017 - Oct 2017
Conducted research on grain legume production and agricultural systems.
Skills
Technical Skills
- MS Office Suite
- SPSS
- STATA
- MATLAB
- R Programming
- SAS
- Python
- ArcGIS
- Machine Learning
- Data Visualization
- Econometric Modeling
- Survey Design and Analysis
Research Methods
- Behavioral Economics Experiments
- Policy Analysis
- Qualitative Research
- Field Studies
- Literature Reviews
- Survey Design
- Experimental Methods
- Statistical Analysis
Languages
- 🇳🇵
Nepali
Mother tongue
- 🇺🇸
English
Fluent
- 🇮🇳
Hindi
Fluent
Contact
Get in Touch
Office Address
331 Agricultural Administration Building
2120 Fyffe Road
Columbus, OH 43210
Resources
Reference
Professor
Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics
The Ohio State University
[email protected]