Faculty Details
Prof. Chandra S. Nuthalapati
Designation
Professor
Areas of Interest/Specialisation
My research lies at the intersection of agricultural economics, development economics, technology and innovation studies and natural resource use. I examine how globalization, technological change, and institutional transformation are reshaping agri-food systems, with particular attention to the evolving roles of farmers, processors, retailers, and modern food value chains. A central focus of my work is the economics of innovation, including digital technologies, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence, and their implications for
productivity, market integration, competitiveness, and inclusive development. I am also interested in the broader challenges of agricultural and rural development, particularly poverty reduction, employment generation, and structural transformation in developing economies. In addition, my research explores the sustainable management of natural resources and the design of policies that foster resilient, efficient, and environmentally sustainable food and agricultural systems.
Google CV Link:
https://nalandauniv.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/CV_Chandra-Nuthalapati.pdf
Brief Biography
Professor Chandra S. Nuthalapati is a distinguished economist whose work spans agricultural development,food systems transformation, innovations, digital economy, technology adoption, biotechnology policy,nutrition-sensitive food system, rural livelihoods, and natural resource use. Over a career of more than twodecades, he has combined academic excellence, policy engagement, and institutional leadership to advanceunderstanding of the challenges facing agriculture and food systems in developing countries and their wider linkages to the rest of the economy.
Professor Nuthalapati served as Visiting Professor at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture andNutrition, Cornell University, and as Professor and Head of the Agricultural Economics Research Unit atthe Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi. He is a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Fellow and hasworked extensively with national and international organizations including IFPRI, NABARD, ICSSR,Google-funded research initiatives, and various government agencies. And collaborated with scholars andinstitutions across India, North America, Europe, and Latin America. Among his six published books is thelatest co-edited book Innovative Agricultural Technologies and the Private Sector for Hunger-Free World:Carl Pray Festschrift Volume, from the World Scientific Publishing Co., Singapore released in 2026.
His scholarship has appeared in leading journals such as World Development, Applied EconomicPerspectives and Policy, Journal of Cleaner Production, Agricultural Economics, and Economic andPolitical Weekly. His research has explored market transformation, supermarket procurement, agriculturalinnovation, digital technologies, biotechnology, nutrition, and smallholder welfare. He contributed toscholarly discourse through editorial activities, including guest editing special issues of internationaljournals on topics such as agricultural biotechnology and the linkages between agri-food value chains andnutrition outcomes.
In addition to research, Professor Nuthalapati has demonstrated strong academic leadership throughresearch management, faculty mentoring, conference organization, international collaborations, andprofessional economic associations. He has coordinated major national and international academic events,led multidisciplinary research programs, and contributed to policy formulation through advisorycommittees and commissioned studies. His work seeks to bridge rigorous academic research with practicalpolicy solutions for sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems.
Best Peer-reviewed Publications (Best 05)
Edited book forthcoming (August, 2026) from World Scientific Publishing Co., Singapore, on technology and markets -https://doi.org/10.1142/14699- Guest editing a Frontiers journal (Frontiers in Nutrition- a 5.1 impact factor journal) on value chains and diets, which may be of interest to some of the faculty and students- https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78261/value-chains-for-nutritious-and-sustainable-diets-economic-and-policy-levers-for-better-nutritional-outcomes
- Nuthalapati, Chandra S., Ashok K. Mishra and Susanto K. Beero (2026) “Nutritional Impacts of Direct Selling to Supermarkets: The Case of Farm Households in India”, Agricultural Economics, 57(2), 1-15.https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.70095.
- Nuthalapati, Chandra S., A. Kumar, P.S. Birthal, V. Sonkar (2024): “Demand-side and supply-side factors for accelerating varietal turnover in smallholder soybean farms”, Journal of Cleaner Production, 447, 141372, 1-14.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141372
- Nuthalapati, Chandra., S. K.Beero, A. Kumar, V. Sonkar and M. Areef (2023): “Skewed Food Policies, Distorted Inter-crop Parity and Nutri-cereal Farmers: An Empirical Analysis”, Economic and Political Weekly, 58(34):54-63.
- Nuthalapati, Chandra S., K.Srinivas, Neha Pandey and Rajeev Sharma (2020): “Startups with Open Innovation: Accelerating Technological Change and Food Value Chain Flows in India”, Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 74(3): 414-438. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.345150
- Nuthalapati, Chandra S., R.Sutradhar, Thomas Reardon, and Matin Qaim, (2020): “Supermarket Procurement and Farmgate Prices in India”, World Development, 134, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105034