About

Dr. Jaclyn Kropp is a professor in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida. She earned her Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University in 2008, and she joined the University of Florida in August of 2012. Her academic background also includes a Master's and Bachelor's degree in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University. Prior to her current position, she was a tenure-track assistant professor at Clemson University. Her research focuses on issues related to agricultural policy and agricultural finance, including the impacts of agricultural support programs on farm-level production decisions, access to credit, and food assistance participation. She investigates how agricultural policies influence production, trade, and farm asset values, especially in the context of WTO compliance and support payments that are based on historic rather than current production. Her work examines the potential for these policies to distort production and trade, influence farmers' risk preferences, and affect credit and input use. Dr. Kropp has also addressed the link between agricultural support and farmland values, notably in a Federal Reserve Bank conference in 2011. She teaches courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, including Advanced Agribusiness Management, which involves a semester-long simulation game and case studies to develop financial and management skills.

Research topics

• Economics
• Business
• Agricultural economics
• Psychology
• Medicine
• Economic growth
• Environmental health
• Finance
• Geography
• Marketing
• Environmental science
• Public economics
• Agricultural science

Selected publications

• Falling trade barriers and rising crime? Evidence from Colombia

  American Journal of Agricultural Economics · 2026-03-31

  article

  Abstract Trade liberalization is central to development strategy in low‐ and middle‐income countries, yet its social costs, particularly for poor rural households, remain poorly understood and rarely offset by policy. Greater openness to trade generates benefits through lower prices, product diversity, and export earnings, but heightened import competition can reduce income and employment in exposed sectors, potentially increasing crime by lowering the opportunity cost of illicit activity. Rising agricultural import competition is particularly concerning given that poverty in the developing world is disproportionately rural and that large shares of the labor force depend on smallholder farming. Here, using panel data from 887 Colombian municipalities and a shift‐share instrumental variables approach, we show that the U.S.‐Colombia Free Trade Agreement of 2012—by intensifying import competition in corn and beans—raised home burglaries and robberies of individuals by 16% and 6%, respectively, while reducing business robberies by 13%. Crime impacts were concentrated in Andean municipalities and non‐coca‐producing regions, reflecting the vulnerability of smallholder traditional corn producers to a surge of cheap U.S. imports and the limited economic alternatives available in those areas. Unlike prior studies from Mexico and Brazil, we find non‐robust evidence of impacts on homicides—a divergence explained by Colombia's context of de‐escalating armed conflict, which dampened extreme violence while leaving economically motivated property crime fully exposed. These results call for agricultural trade agreements to be explicitly paired with rural safety nets and labor market policies capable of preventing trade‐induced shocks from translating into elevated crime and deepened rural inequality.

  PublisherDOI

• Interest rates and agricultural debt: estimating the marginal interest rate

  Agricultural Finance Review · 2025-02-14

  articleSenior author

  Purpose While the average cost of debt capital can be calculated from historical financial statement data by dividing the interest paid each year by the total level of debt, this average cost of debt provides little information regarding the true cost of acquiring additional debt capital, and hence, its use is potentially problematic in financial decision-making. This study focuses on the linkage between observed changes in the average interest rates calculated from financial statements (balance sheet and income statement) and the marginal cost of borrowing or the cost of acquiring new debt. Motivated by the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), the marginal cost of capital is modeled as a function of a risk-free interest rate (the return on Moody’s Aaa bonds), returns on the S\&P stock index capturing overall market returns and a portfolio of agricultural stocks to represent farm sector-specific risks. Design/methodology/approach Using a unique dataset constructed from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) state-level Financial Performance of the Farm Sector data for the years 1960 through 2003 and state-level Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) data for the years 2003–2014 and Bayesian methods, we model the observed interest rate as an autoregressive function controlling for changes in debt and key rates of return in the general economy. Findings The results indicate that the marginal interest rate is a function of the Aaa corporate bond rate and the stock market. We also find evidence of a negative relationship between returns to a portfolio of agricultural stocks and the marginal interest rate. Overall, the findings suggest that the imputed interest rate frequently misrepresents the marginal cost of debt capital. Originality/value Most farm financial datasets allow for the analysis of the farm firm’s average interest rate. However, farmers make decisions based on the marginal cost of credit – the interest rate on a newly issued note. This study estimates this marginal interest rate for the 15 states for which the ARMS data are representative for the years 1960 through 2014 and compares the estimated marginal interest rate with the imputed average interest rate.

  PublisherDOI

• Effectiveness of participatory trainings in improving nutrition knowledge and dietary diversity in rural Bangladesh

  Agriculture & Food Security · 2025-04-17 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background Despite improvements in recent decades, Bangladesh continues to face malnutrition rates that are among the highest in the world. Consuming a nutrient-rich diverse diet can mitigate the risk of malnutrition-induced health problems. However, consumers often lack knowledge about what constitutes a healthy diet, and often knowledge improvements do not necessarily translate to behavior change due to social norms and access constraints. Objectives This study evaluates the effectiveness of participatory nutrition education in improving nutrition knowledge and dietary diversity among rural men and women in Bangladesh, investigates whether increased nutrition knowledge leads to changes in dietary behavior, and explores the factors limiting behavior change to aid in the development and implementation of nutrition-sensitive interventions. Design Three-arm randomized control study. We randomize participants into two participatory workshop interventions or the control group of no training. The first intervention consisted of workshop activities related to selecting a balanced diet. The second intervention included the activities of the first intervention as well as activities related to gender and intrahousehold food allocation. Participants 358 adult men and women in two districts of Bangladesh. Results Using pre- and post-intervention survey data and lagged dependent variable regression analyses, we find an 8–11% increase ( p = 0.010) in the comprehensive nutrition knowledge score among workshop attendees, compared to the control. We find larger effects, up to a 30% increase ( p = 0.002), on targeted scores measuring knowledge around food groups and nutrients. Despite increases in knowledge, we find little to no evidence that the workshops impact dietary diversity or that nutrition knowledge translates to behavior change. Our survey responses reveal economic factors such as income and food access limit participants from putting their improved nutrition knowledge into action. Conclusions Habits, social norms and economic factors such as income and access constraints can prevent participants from putting improved nutrition knowledge into action. Short-term, low-cost participatory workshops may be more effective when coupled with economic incentives, gifts-in-kind, or nutrition-sensitive agriculture.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Can Domestic Vanilla Compete? Sensory Evaluation and Willingness to Pay for Vanilla Flavorings

  Agribusiness · 2025-02-11 · 3 citations

  articleCorresponding

  ABSTRACT The U.S. is the largest importer of vanilla beans. Currently, there is no large‐scale domestic commercial production of vanilla beans. However, Florida's tropical climate is suitable for production, and researchers are exploring the viability of a Florida‐based domestic vanilla industry. To understand consumer preferences and valuations for vanilla with different flavor sources, we administered a blind sensory panel. Participants sampled four vanilla flavorings, including a vanilla extract made from vanilla beans grown in Florida, a commercially available vanilla extract made from vanilla beans grown in Papua New Guinea, a national‐brand vanilla extract made from vanilla beans grown in Madagascar, and a commonly available synthetic flavoring. Panelists were asked questions related to acceptability and contingent valuation. Mean separation analysis and regression analysis reveal that participants’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the three vanilla extracts are statistically indifferent, suggesting that the country of origin of the beans did not impact WTP for the extract. However, the synthetic flavoring received higher ratings and panelist indicated higher WTP for the synthetic flavoring than some of the vanilla extracts.

  PublisherDOI

• Reflecting on Using Reflection Exercises to Improve Student Learning and Teaching Effectiveness

  Applied Economics Teaching Resources · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  In this commentary, I reflect on employing reflection exercises to improve student learning and teaching effectiveness. The theory of reflective learning and the importance of engaging in reflection after active and experiential learning are discussed. I present on overview of the reflection exercises that I employ, which are based on the Respond, Summarize, Vocabulary, Pose a New Question (RSVP) method and Gibbs’ reflective cycle. Reflection assignments allow students to document their learning experience while also providing feedback used to make improvements to the course in real time. The summaries and questions posed by students assist with the identification of topics and concepts that need to be reviewed and remediated. Employing these exercises have increased students’ class attendance, engagement, immediacy, and average course grades as well as my rapport with students and scores on my formal end-of-term course evaluations. Students’ suggestions have led to the deletion of old assignments, creation of new assignments and reorganization of the course material, improving course effectiveness. Students indicate benefiting from engaging in the reflection exercises by feeling more connected to the course material. Students also demonstrate a deeper understanding of the course material."

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The varying effects of dollar stores on food access: A machine learning analysis

  American Journal of Agricultural Economics · 2025-10-31

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Dollar store proliferation across the United States since the early 2000s has prompted numerous communities to enact policies restricting their growth. Motivated by policy concerns about reduced food access, we investigate whether dollar store entry reduces access to grocery stores, measured by the presence of grocery stores near households. We find significant effects in urban block groups that experience dollar store entry with a single grocery store at baseline, constituting 14% of treated urban block groups from 2006 to 2020. Urban‐area impacts are strongly correlated with the Black population share, poverty rate, dependence on public assistance, and levels of vacant housing and vehicle access. Rural‐area effects are negligible or zero in our main analyses, though incorporating smaller retailers in our food access definition reveals modest but significant impacts. Food access concerns driving dollar store policies may be valid in specific communities.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effects of informational nudges on preordered food choices of middle school National School Lunch Program participants

  Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association · 2024-01-15 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract We examine the effects of own order history, peer order history, and MyPlate nudges received by middle‐school National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participants while preordering on the selection of fruits and vegetables. Students receiving own order history nudges were significantly less likely to select a vegetable during the postintervention phase. Students who received peer order history nudges were significantly less likely to select a vegetable during the nudging and postintervention phases, suggesting that receiving information on peer selection negatively impacted the selection of vegetables. The MyPlate recommendations nudge may mitigate the negative effects of receiving peer selection information.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Varying Effects of Dollar Stores on Food Access: A Machine Learning Analysis

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2024-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Understanding the role of risk preferences and perceptions in vaccination decisions and post-vaccination behaviors among U.S. households

  Scientific Reports · 2024-02-07 · 24 citations

  articleOpen access

  COVID-19 vaccines play a critical role in protecting against infection and transmission of the virus. Therefore, understanding public perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines is essential for successful vaccine promotion. Previous literature reported strong associations between vaccination decisions and several sociodemographic variables. However, knowledge about how behavioral factors, including risk perceptions and preferences, impact individuals' attitudes towards receiving COVID-19 vaccination is currently lacking. Using data from a nationally representative survey of 1050 US adults, this study investigates the correlation between individuals' decisions to receive COVID-19 vaccination and both their risk perceptions and preferences. Additionally, we investigate post-vaccination behavior by measuring individuals' participation in three different groups of activities that vary by their degree of social exposure. We find strong correlations between vaccination decisions and four measures of risk preference and risk perception. We also find associations between the four risk measures and individuals' behaviors post-vaccination. We shed light on the main factors discouraging the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as public opinions regarding the performance of different organizations in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, and grocery store policies to prevent COVID-19 infections. Our study provides critical information that can help policymakers communicate more effectively with the public and promote vaccine uptake among population groups and geographic areas with higher anti-vaccine sentiments.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Assessing the Conventional Wisdom on Dollar Store Locations Through Machine Learning

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2024-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Janet G. Peckham

  United States Food and Drug Administration

  17 shared

• David R. Just

  Cornell University

  13 shared

• Kelly A. Davidson

  University of Delaware

  8 shared

• Thomas A. Mroz

  Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

  7 shared

• Sonam Gupta

  American Institutes for Research

  7 shared

• Vivian Haley‐Zitlin

  7 shared

• Ellen M. Granberg

  Rochester Institute of Technology

  7 shared

• Charles B. Moss

  6 shared

Awards & honors

• invited speaker at a Federal Reserve Bank conference (2011)