Dr Faical Akaichi

Research Economist
Land Economy, Environment and Society Research Group

Food Marketing

Research interests 

I am an applied economist with specialization in consumer behaviour, demand analysis, consumer research methods (e.g., choice experiments, experimental auctions) and econometric modelling. Most of my research work consists in analysing primary and secondary data (from surveys, economic experiments, scanner data, household survey data) using quantitative methods to answer research questions on hot topics in different areas of economics such as:

  • Food marketing, e.g., labelling, demand for new products, price promotions etc.
  • Environmental economics, e.g., demand for sustainable private and public goods
  • Health Economics, e.g., choice of healthy diet, child obesity etc.
  • Welfare economics, e.g., economics of animal welfare
  • Development economics, e.g., food security and poverty

Selected research projects

  • “Formulating Value Chains for Orphan Crops in Africa” 2017-19                                                                       This RCUK GCRF Foundation Award for Global Agriculture and Food Systems Research project for BBSRC aiming at bridging the supply and demand for underutilised crops.
  • The Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) Strategic Research Programme 2016-2021. Theme 3                                                                                           The work involves analyses of the introduction of new food products with sustainable and healthy attributes as well as consumption and trade.
  • “SUSDIET: Implementing sustainable diets in Europe” 2014-2017                                                                    This ERANET SUSFOOD project (SRUC funded by Defra) aims at identifying sustainable diets compatible with consumers' preferences in Europe and policies which could favour their adoption.
  • “Assessing the Contribution of the Dairy Sector to Economic Growth and Food Security in Malawi” 2012-15                                                                                                                                                                                This DFID-ESRC project aimed at analysing factors hampering the development of the dairy sector in Malawi.

Teaching

MSc Food Security - the University of Edinburgh: module ‘Frameworks to Assess Food Security’.  Since 2015, I have been teaching the following lessons:

  • Demand analysis and food security
  • Malnutrition
  • Poverty
     

PhD students

Ms.Rachel Peden (with the University of Edinburgh, 2016-2018): “Demand-driven solutions to reduce aggression between pigs”.

Selected publications

  • Akaichi, F., Nayga, R. M., & Nalley, L. L. (2017). Are there trade-offs in valuation with respect to greenhouse gas emissions, origin and food miles attributes? European Review of Agricultural Economics, 44(1), 3-31.
  • Akaichi, F., & Revoredo-Giha, C. (2016). Consumers demand for products with animal welfare attributes: Evidence from Homescan data for Scotland. British Food Journal, 118(7), 1682-1711.
  • Akaichi, F., Nayga, R. M., & Gil, J. M. (2015). Effect of Price? discount Distribution in Multi? unit Price Promotions on Consumers' Willingness to Pay, Sales Value, and Retailers' Revenue. Agribusiness, 31(1), 14-32.
  • Akaichi, F., Nayga, R. M., & Gil, J. M. (2014). Demand reduction in multi-unit auctions with varying number of bidders and units. Economics Letters, 124(3), 443-445.
  • Akaichi, F., Nayga, R. M., & Gil, J. M. (2013). Are results from non-hypothetical choice-based conjoint analyses and non-hypothetical recoded-ranking conjoint analyses similar?. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 95 (4): 949-963.
     

SRUC repository 

Dr Faical Akaichi

Research Economist

Address: Land Economy, Environment & Society, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Peter Wilson Building, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG.

Telephone: 0131 535 4217

E-mail: faical.akaichi@sruc.ac.uk