Benjamin Okoye

Research experience includes addressing the Economic problems of Root and tuber Crops Production, Marketing, Processing and Utilization. Research program for the past 14 years spans issues on food security, production economics, farm management, agricultural marketing, gender productivity and efficiency, environmental and resource economics, adoption studies and applied microeconomics and econometrics. My Research has focused on quantitative and qualitative approaches for sustainable management of resources, transaction cost economics and understanding the nexus between efficiency and farm size productivity in Nigeria. My research works involves critical assessment of the distinction between “quantitative” and “qualitative” research with particular attention to the question of measurement. Assessment of various techniques of data collection and “fact-finding” instruments such as; interviews, observation and archival studies so as to locate their potentiality for construction of successful research projects. Head of Station, National Root Crops Research Institute-Igbariam Sub-Station and coordinated the research activities of the Cocoyam Research Programme for three years. I am currently an Asst. Director with the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Nigeria where I am part of international and trans-disciplinary research and Training programmes funded by a number of Donors. Experienced in developing and managing collaborative projects and research networks for effective technology/knowledge sharing amongst relevant institutions and networks. I hold distinctive prizes and awards for academic excellence and good community leadership. I won the National Root Crops Research Institute’s Prize of “Staff Award for Excellence” in 2005, President Agricultural Policy Makers Association, UNN in 1998-1999 and Best Graduating Student Dept. of Agricultural Economics 1999/2000 session. I am proficient and very experienced in the use of Econometric and Statistical packages including STATA, DAD, LIMDEP, LINDO, PC-Give (version-8), E-Views, Stochastic Frontier 4.1. SPSS, Excel (Microsoft), SAS, GENSTAT, Database management, Good knowledge of HTML, word processing and power point presentations. Very proficient in English and Igbo language, and a little of Hausa I have to my credit over a 100 publications in various media including national and international Journals as well as conference proceedings. I have also edited so many papers.