Production Economist Aims to Boost Farm Efficiency Amid Evolving Technology, Weather Risks
Ag economist returns to alma mater as assistant professor
By Maddie Johnson – May 8, 2025
Editors: Kristiina Ala-Kokko pronounced Kri-stee-nuh Ah-lah-koe-koe.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Informing and incentivizing optimal farm management decisions fuel the research of production economist Kristiina Ala-Kokko — and she looks forward to zeroing in on the Arkansas rice industry come this fall.
Ala-Kokko will join the agricultural economics and agribusiness department in August as an assistant professor with the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
She will earn her Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Kansas State University in July. She earned both a master’s degree in agricultural economics and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Arkansas.
Gearing up for research
Ala-Kokko’s doctoral dissertation research focuses on the impacts of on-farm technological adoption and climate change and how they inform potential methods of adaptation. She holds a specific interest in analyzing why producers make the decisions they do, as well as how optimal production behavior can be incentivized.
Meeting with stakeholders and learning what issues are important to them will be a top priority for Ala-Kokko, she said, noting her plan to work across disciplines. She pointed to the rice industry specifically, not just because of the crop’s relevance to Arkansas but because of its status as a staple for global food security.
“I’m thrilled that Kristiina gets to return to the University of Arkansas, where she got her M.S. in ag econ,” said Lanier Nalley, professor and agricultural economics and agribusiness department head. “Working alongside our students and faculty, Kristiina is positioned to lead the way — not just in rice research in Arkansas but in innovation that can influence the region and beyond.”
Quality mentors
Ala-Kokko admitted she didn’t originally look toward agricultural economics and agribusiness as a career. That is, until she pursued a sustainability minor as an undergraduate and became inspired by Marty Matlock, biological and agricultural engineering professor for the College of Engineering and the experiment station, who taught the sustainability course.
“He really articulated to me the important role that agriculture plays in solving problems like global food insecurity, environmental degradation, and climate change,” Ala-Kokko said.
She credits Matlock and Nalley with being some of her strongest mentors.
Ala-Kokko comes with a focus on her role as a teacher, drawing from her own experiences in the classroom to make her teaching more enriching. She hopes to “cast a wide net” when it comes to investigating what piques the curiosity of those sitting in her classroom.
Too often, she said, students are tasked with merely memorizing information. She aims instead to challenge her students to interact with material more closely through interactive projects that harness their creativity.
“It helps students figure out exactly what they’re interested in,” she said. “I really want to be a teacher that inspires students to get excited about ag because there are a lot of challenges facing this sector but also a lot of career opportunities in agriculture.”
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on 𝕏 at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on 𝕏 at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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