Food Marketing
Nian, Y., Lamie, R.D., Vassalos, M., Tregeagle, D., Boyles, B., Vossbrinck, D. (2025). A diamond in the rough: Identifying heritage crop niche markets in the United States using a discrete choice experiment. Agricultural Economics. DOI:10.1111/agec.70043.
Wang, E., Nian, Y., & Gao, Z. (2025). Chinese consumers’ dish value: A best-worst scaling approach. British Food Journal. 127(3), 1153-1167.DOI:10.1108/BFJ-07-2024-0664.
Liu, R., Tian, M., Wang, J., Nian, Y., Ma, H., & Liang, F. (2025). Do peer effects matter on consumer purchases of Fuji apples? Evolutionary game analysis and reality verification. Current Psychology. DOI:10.1007/s12144-025-07960-3
Nian, Y., Gao, Z., & Zhao, R. (2023). Are people’s daily life habits consistent with their preference for food sustainability labels?. Agribusiness: An International Journal, 39(3), 589-622.DOI:10.1002/agr.21803.
Liu, R., Wang, J., Liang, F., Nian, Y., & Ma, H. (2022). What can we learn from the interactions of food traceable attributes? A case study of Fuji apple products in China. Applied Economics, 54(59), 6829-6849. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2022.2084017.
Van Asselt, J., Nian, Y., Soh, M., Morgan, S., & Gao, Z. (2022). Do plastic warning labels reduce consumers’ willingness to pay for plastic egg packaging?: Evidence from a choice experiment. Ecologic Economics 198, 107460. DOI:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107460.
Technology and Agricultural Production
Nian, Y., Wu, Q., Gao, Z., Zhao, X., Duan, D., & Carapezza, G. (2025). Exploring the adoption of high tunnel system among specialty crop growers: Perceptions, use experiences, willingness-to-pay, and influencing factors. HortScience. Accepted.
Nian, Y., Gao, Z., Zhao, X., & Chen, J. (2024). Making grafting accessible to vegetable producers: An online multistakeholder economic decision-support system for vegetable grafting. Smart Agricultural Technology. DOI:10.1016/j.atech.2024.100723.
Nian, Y., Zhao, Z., Tian, S., Zhao, X., & Gao, Z. (2022). An economic analysis of grafted organic tomato production in high tunnels. HortTechnology, 32(5):459-470. DOI:10.21273/HORTTECH05101-22.
Nian, Y., Huang, Q., Kovacs, K., Henry, C., & Krutz, J. (2020). Water management practices: Use patterns, related factors, and correlations with irrigated acres. Water Resources Research, 56(3):e2019WR025360.DOI:10.1029/2019WR02536.
Liu, R., Wang, J., Tian, M., Nian, Y., Ren, W., Ma, H., & Liang, F. (2025). Farmers’ adoption of green prevention and control technology in hina: Does information awareness matter?. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1).DOI:10.1057/s41599-025-04363-4
Tian, M., Liu, R., Wang, J., Liang, J., Nian, Y., & Ma, H. (2024). How to promote the sustainability of China’s rural waste management system: Increase government subsidies or increase waste service management fees?. Natural Resources Forum, 2024. DOI:10.1111/1477-8947.12454.
Tian, M., Liu, R., Wang, J., Liang, J., Nian, Y., & Ma, H. (2023). Impact of environmental values and information awareness on the adoption of soil testing and formula fertilization technology by farmers: A case study considering social networks. Agriculture, 13(10). DOI:10.3390/agriculture131020083.
Liu, R., Gao, Z., Nian, Y., & Ma, H. (2020). Does social relation or economic interest affect the choice behavior of land lease agreement in China? Evidence from the largest wheat producing Henan province. Sustainability, 2020(12):4279. DOI:10.3390/su12104279.
Optimizing agricultural climate-adaptative policy bundles: Impact of crop insurance program and financial assistance policy on farmers’ climate resilient technology adoption dynamics (with Zhifeng Gao, Charles Moss, Xin Zhao & Kimberly Morgan)
Abstract: Extreme weather events pose an increasing challenge to the specialty crop sector in the U.S., prompting policymakers to implement various climate-adaptive policies to help farmers mitigate these challenges. This study develops a framework in an agent-based model to analyze how the interactions between crop insurance and financial assistance affect farmers’s adoption of climate-resilient production systems to mitigate increasing tropical cyclone risks. The model simulates farmers’ dynamic adaptation behaviors by coupling farmers’ heterogeneous decision-making processes, risk preferences, loss aversion, extreme weather risk perception, and social networks. We find that financial assistance policies can encourage farmers to adopt more climate-resilient systems to shield crops from extreme weather events when the extreme weather risk is moderate. However, when extreme weather risks become high, financial assistance alone is insufficient to drive adoption. In addition, crop insurance programs tailored to different production systems are more effective than universal insurance programs to promote the adoption of climate-resilient production systems. For optimal policy design, integrating these policies—such as linking crop insurance premium reductions to high tunnel adoption—could create more substantial incentives for farmers to participate in both programs. It would enhance risk reduction, improve resource allocation, and maximize public investment efficiency.
Perception of food fraud and preferences for authenticity test in the Chinese online food market. (with Erpeng Wang & Zhifeng Gao)
Abstract: With the development of new technologies that can change food appearance and taste, food fraud has become an increasingly critical issue in the food market worldwide, especially in the online food market. In China, there has been an increasing number of food fraud events occurring over the past decades. Using survey data collected from 935 online beefsteak buyers in China, this study analyzes consumers’ preferences for food authenticity test information in online beefsteak shopping scenarios and explores consumer surplus changes when the authenticity test is offered. Our results show that Chinese consumers perceive high food fraud risk when they purchase beefsteak online. They tend to have stable preferences for authenticity test information, including the meat glue test, the DNA test, and the verification of Halal food, when purchasing beefsteak online. We also find that consumers with high consumption levels are more likely to use price as a quality cue to avoid food fraud. Consumers with low consumption levels may receive more consumer surplus from authenticity testing. This study provides important insight for policymakers and food companies when evaluating the benefits of offering food authenticity test information and designing pricing strategies with consumption stratification in the online food market.
Nian, Y., Gao, Z., Morgan, K., Moss, C., & Zhao, X. Intra- and inter- temporal risks in specialty crop producers’ technology adoption.
Nian, Y., Mattia, M., Gmitter, F., Gao, Z., & Chen, J. The impact of health claims on consumers’ willingness-to-pay for food products: Does the format matter?
Nian, Y., Gao, Z., Morgan, K., Moss, C., & Zhao, X. The role of reference points in specialty producers’ technology adoption under risks.
Duan, D., Uddin, A., Nian, Y., Nguyen, L., & Gao, Z. Tracing the trend in research about consumer preferences for eco-labeled food: A text-mining and topic-modeling approach.
Duan, D., Nian, Y., Gao, Z., Xu, N., Zhao, X., Hong, J., & Rosskopf, E. Economic evaluation of anaerobic soil disinfestation in open-field organic strawberry production.