Dr. Malek Hammami brings new insights into South Florida’s complex agricultural landscape as assistant

Malek A. Hammami, Ph.D.

This August, Dr. Malek Hammami, an agricultural economist with expertise in international trade and food market economics, joined the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC). As an assistant professor of Food and Resource Economics, he joins the Extension specialists at TREC in bringing new insights into South Florida’s complex agricultural landscape. 

“I will be looking at growers’ stressors for diverse crops in the area,” Hammami said. “It will be different crops, pathogens, and diverse policies.” 

Helping Policymakers and Stakeholders to Make Informed Decisions 

Hammami, who graduated from the University of Nebraska with his Ph.D. in 2021, specializes in looking at how food markets respond to trade policies from a holistic perspective, applying economic theories. 

“We examine a product from multiple perspectives and consider as many factors as possible,” Hammami said. “This includes issues such as trade dynamics, labor concerns and the influence of diverse shocks, including pathogens and policy changes.”  

In his dissertation research, he explored how the U.S. retaliatory tariffs on E.U. agricultural imports affected the olive oil market in the United States. 

While Hammami is new to TREC, he has well-established roots within the UF/IFAS community from his contributions to work being done at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) during the past three years as a post-doctoral associate.  

Some of the projects Hammami worked on during his time at GCREC included an overview of the avocado market in the United States, as well as the United States Orange Industry and how it has been impacted by declining production and climbing imports. Additionally, He examined impacts of labor and trade policies on fruits and vegetable industries such as tomatoes and strawberries. 

“We looked at the pressing economic issues that Florida’s fruit and vegetable industries face,” Hammami said.  

These overviews were then shared with stakeholders through Hammami’s extension work, including articles for askIFAS and Extension talks where growers could attend to hear what Hammami and his colleagues had learned from their research.  

“When it comes to research in agricultural economics, we provide numbers.” Hammami said.  “Those numbers can help growers assess the short- and long-term resilience of their industries, engage with policy representatives, and voice their pressing concerns. It informs both groups on the impact of each decision they are making, all with the goal of supporting a resilient and sustainable industry.”  

Looking Forward 

With his 60% extension and 40% research appointment, Hammami is looking forward to developing an integrated research and extension education program relevant to South Florida to address issues impacting production and marketing of vegetable, fruit, ornamental and agronomic crops. He also may expand his work to include the non-market valuations of ecosystem goods and services relevant to the area.  

“Talking with my colleagues, in the tropical area there are lots of products relatively unknown to the general public, so we are looking to explore the potential of these new products in the food market,” Hammami said. “This might include estimating a dollar value for items that don’t yet have value on the market.” 

For those interested in learning more about Dr. Hammami and his work, please visit his faculty directory page.
  

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