- 2019 Wolf Prize in Agriculture
Intro
Israeli-American economist, Professor and Robinson Chair in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the UC, Berkeley. He was awarded
the 2019 Wolf Prize in Agriculture for incorporating biophysical features of agroeconomic systems
to develop economic models and econometric decision-making frameworks to answer fundamental agricultural economic and policy questions in several important areas.
Education and Work Experience
1973-1979, Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Berkeley
1979-1999, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Vice Chairman, Chairman in Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Berkeley
1999-Present, Robinson Chair in Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Berkeley; Director, Center for Sustainable Resource Development
Honors and Awards
2000, UNESCO International Cannes Prize for Water and the Economy
2005&2010, Agricultural & Applied Economics Association, Publication of Enduring Quality Award
2017, President of Agricultural & Applied Economics Association
2019, Wolf Prize in Agriculture
Major Academic Achievements
Zilberman is one of the most cited scholars in agricultural, environmental, and resource economics. During the 1980s, his work served as the basis for the adoption of modern irrigation technology and computers in California agriculture. During the early 1990s, his research on pesticide economics and policy made the case against policies that called to ban pesticides, and advocated instead for smart policies that take advantage of the vast economic benefits that pesticides generate while using incentives to protect against environmental side effects. He has been involved in major policy debates, including
the transition to water markets, regulation and use of pesticides, and biotechnology and biofuel policies. Zilberman’s research incorporates features of agronomic and
biophysical systems into economic models.