College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Publications on Google Scholar

David Ortega is an Associate Professor at Michigan State University. He is appointed in the tenure system. His research program is positioned at the nexus of food marketing, agribusiness management, and international development and focuses on understanding consumer, producer, and agribusiness decision-making to better inform food policies and marketing strategies.

Dr. Ortega’s research interests include China’s role in global agri-food systems and the Chinese consumer. Over the past thirteen years, his work on China has focused on the economics of food quality and on evaluating emerging markets for U.S. agricultural products. Dr. Ortega also has research experience in several developing and emerging countries, including India, Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda. He has published over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including Food Policy, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Economic Development and Cultural Change, World Development, China Economic Review, and the European Review of Agricultural Economics.

Dr. Ortega has provided a timely analysis of the US-China trade war and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic and global agri-food systems. His research and analysis have been featured in CNN, NBC News, NPR, China Global Television Network, Forbes, Politico, Newsweek, and various newspapers. Dr. Ortega earned his B.S. in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida and M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. He is an adjunct professor in the School of Public Affairs at Zhejiang University.

Research and Outreach Interests

• Consumer and producer decision making
• Food marketing
• Agricultural development
• China

Teaching Experience

• AFRE 817 Food Policy
• FIM 335 Food Marketing Management

• FIM 460 Retail Information Systems

David Ortega provides expert testimony to congress