About

Dr. Gulcan Onel is an Associate Professor of Economics in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Her research and teaching programs focus on price and demand analyses in agribusiness, agricultural labor, and rural well-being, as well as applied econometrics. Her work contributes to understanding how market frictions and economic policies influence the prices and demand for agricultural commodities and inputs. Additionally, her research explores immigration trends and policies affecting labor availability and rural communities, aiming to inform policy and stakeholder decision-making. Dr. Onel has led and participated in interdisciplinary research projects with experts across disciplines to develop solutions for the US agricultural sector. She has been recognized nationally with the 'Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Award' for her interdisciplinary approach to applied economics research on the well-being of rural farm communities.

Research topics

• Business
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Science
• Economics
• Agricultural economics
• Medicine
• International economics
• Chemistry
• Virology
• Food science
• Process management
• International trade
• Environmental health
• Market economy
• Management
• Geography
• Risk analysis (engineering)
• Engineering
• Manufacturing engineering
• Systems engineering
• Forestry

Selected publications

• Stringency of government COVID-19 policies and price transmission along Turkish beef supply chains

  Applied Economics Letters · 2026-01-29

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A rural state of mind: Mental well-being and social isolation among Haitian and Hispanic farmworkers in Florida

  Journal of Rural Studies · 2025-08-29 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Opioid-Related Mortality Across US Farming Counties: The Role of Economic Vulnerability Versus Pharmaceutical Marketing (Preprint)

  2024-12-17

  preprintOpen access

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Opioid-related mortality remains a critical public health issue in the United States, particularly in rural areas. This study examines the determinants of age-adjusted opioid death rates in U.S. farming counties, focusing on the roles of economic deprivation and pharmaceutical marketing in rural farm communities. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> We evaluate two competing hypotheses: (1) that economic vulnerability, as captured by the “deaths of despair” framework, drives opioid-related mortality, and (2) that increased reliance on and promotion of opioids by pharmaceutical companies contributes significantly to the crisis. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> : We use a double-hurdle model to analyze county-level data on age-adjusted opioid death rates from 2007, 2012, and 2017, focusing on the share of farmland operated by Limited Resource Farmers, and pharmaceutical company payments to physicians. Data sources include the CDC Wonder database, ProPublica’s Dollars for Docs, and the U.S. Census of Agriculture. Regional dummy variables allow for exploring spatial differences, with the Basin and Range region serving as the reference category. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> Findings reveal that economic vulnerability plays a significant role in opioid-related mortality. The share of farmland operated by Limited Resource Farmers is positively associated with age-adjusted opioid death rates, with elasticities changing from 0.0707 in 2007 to 0.0532 in 2012 and turning slightly negative in 2017. This trend suggests that as the opioid epidemic spread, the relative influence of economic deprivation in farming counties was diluted. Conversely, the elasticity of county-level opioid-related mortality with respect to pharmaceutical payments to physicians is not statistically significant, failing to support the hypothesis that pharmaceutical marketing drives the crisis. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> Economic vulnerability, particularly among Limited Resource Farmers, is a key driver of opioid-related mortality in U.S. farming counties, supporting the “deaths of despair” framework. The lack of significant effects for pharmaceutical payments suggests a limited role for physician-targeted marketing in this context. These findings emphasize the need for interventions addressing economic instability in farming communities and tailoring regional responses to the opioid epidemic. Future research should explore additional factors, including healthcare access and mental health resources, to deepen understanding and inform more effective policies. </sec> <sec> <title>CLINICALTRIAL</title> Opioid Mortality, Farming Counties, Limited Resource Farmers, Economic Vulnerability, Pharmaceutical Marketing, Deaths of Despair, Rural America </sec>

  PublisherDOI

• A Review of Prospects and Opportunities in Disassembly with Human-Robot Collaboration

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2023-10-20 · 2 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Product disassembly plays a crucial role in the recycling, remanufacturing, and reuse of end-of-use (EoU) products. However, the current manual disassembly process is inefficient due to the complexity and variation of EoU products. While fully automating disassembly is not economically viable given the intricate nature of the task, there is potential in using human-robot collaboration (HRC) to enhance disassembly operations. HRC combines the flexibility and problem-solving abilities of humans with the precise repetition and handling of unsafe tasks by robots. Nevertheless, numerous challenges persist in technology, human workers, and remanufacturing work, that require comprehensive multidisciplinary research to bridge critical gaps. These challenges have motivated the authors to provide a detailed discussion on the opportunities and obstacles associated with introducing HRC to disassembly. In this regard, the authors have conducted a thorough review of the recent progress in HRC disassembly and present the insights gained from this analysis from three distinct perspectives: technology, workers, and work.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Migration and economic activity at origin: the role of female household headship in rural Bangladesh

  Empirical Economics · 2023-10-11 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• A Review of Prospects and Opportunities in Disassembly With Human–Robot Collaboration

  Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering · 2023 · 46 citations

  • Computer Science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Risk analysis (engineering)

  Abstract Product disassembly plays a crucial role in the recycling, remanufacturing, and reuse of end-of-use (EoU) products. However, the current manual disassembly process is inefficient due to the complexity and variation of EoU products. While fully automating disassembly is not economically viable given the intricate nature of the task, there is potential in using human–robot collaboration (HRC) to enhance disassembly operations. HRC combines the flexibility and problem-solving abilities of humans with the precise repetition and handling of unsafe tasks by robots. Nevertheless, numerous challenges persist in technology, human workers, and remanufacturing work, which require comprehensive multidisciplinary research to address critical gaps. These challenges have motivated the authors to provide a detailed discussion on the opportunities and obstacles associated with introducing HRC to disassembly. In this regard, the authors have conducted a review of the recent progress in HRC disassembly and present the insights gained from this analysis from three distinct perspectives: technology, workers, and work.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Earnings differentials between H-2A and unauthorized citrus harvesters in Florida

  Agricultural and Resource Economics Review · 2023-05-08 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract The H-2A temporary agricultural workers visa program is a federal program allowing agricultural employers to bring in foreign workers on a seasonal basis. The extent to which H-2A workers earn more compared to their domestic unauthorized counterparts is of interest for both producers and workers. Using novel data on citrus harvest workers in the state of Florida, we estimate hourly earnings differentials by legal status using Classical and Bayesian inference. Findings suggest that participation in the H-2A program is associated with 18–23% higher hourly earnings for migrant harvesters in Florida after controlling for observable demographic and work-related variables.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Aircraft Dispute, Wine, and the US–EU Trade War: Implications for US Consumers and Wine Suppliers

  Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics · 2021 · 6 citations

  • Economics
  • International economics
  • Business

  Abstract This paper estimates changes in demand for imported wines by source country and resulting welfare effects due to Section 301 tariffs imposed on certain European wines in October 2019. A two-stage expenditure allocation scheme is used to estimate the import demand for red, white, and other wines in the first stage, and source-differentiated red wine and white wine demand in the second stage. From derived price elasticities measuring first and second stage interactions, welfare measures are simulated capturing effects of the new tariffs on both taxed and non-taxed exporters as well as the US importers of red and white wine.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• [FE1091] Regulations Governing the Usage of Reclaimed Water as an Alternative Water Source for Agricultural Irrigation in Florida

  EDIS · 2021-05-24

  articleOpen access

  Fresh water is becoming increasing scarce as the world population grows rapidly. Reclaimed water from alternative sources can be used to help offset the demand for fresh surface water and groundwater in agriculture. To ensure that pathogenic or trace chemical constituents in reclaimed water do not pose a threat to human health and the environment, state and federal governments impose regulations governing reclaimed water use. This fact sheet documents the rules and regulations governing the use of reclaimed water from alternative water sources in Florida agriculture. Target audiences include growers exploring alternative water use for agriculture, non-core professionals, core professionals, and the public.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Immigration and migration policy propoal's impact beyond farm labor markets across the United States

  MOspace Institutional Repository (University of Missouri) · 2020-01-01

  articleOpen access

  Most agricultural workers in the United States are from Latin America. The National Agricultural Workers Survey suggests 69 [percent] of hired workers on U.S. farms are born in Mexico. More than half of these same farm workers indicated they do not have legal work authorization. Economists have long suggested immigrants who lack legal work authorization are over represented in agricultural employment because they are more willing to accept the pay and work conditions associated with farm work, than their legally authorized peers. Recent trends in the agricultural labor market, however, seem to suggest that the share of unauthorized hired farm workers may be decreasing. This trend is implicit in the rapid growth of the H-2A guest workers program, a federal program that allows agricultural employers to bring in foreign workers on a seasonal basis. Although in recent years the H-2A program has garnered considerable interest from policy makers, agricultural employers, and researchers, few quantitative studies examine how the program along with other immigration policies, impact farm labor markets across the U.S. This paper presents preliminary findings from a quantitative model estimating farm labor supply elasticities across the continental United States. The following immigration related policy proposals are controlled for within this model: raising of the AEWR (the adverse effect wage rate paid to H-2A workers); restructuration or discontinuation of the H-2A guest workers program; amnesty for currently unauthorized workers; and disruption of immigration and migration flows from increased immigration control and/or security along the U.S.-Mexico border). This model was developed to inform rural community leaders, agribusiness stakeholders, and public policy makers regarding the potential effects of the H-2A program and other immigration control policies on farm labor management.

  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Ayuba Seidu

  California State University, Stanislaus

  14 shared

• Charles B. Moss

  11 shared

• Barry K. Goodwin

  North Carolina State University

  10 shared

• James L. Seale

  10 shared

• Skyler Simnitt

  Economic Research Service

  7 shared

• Fritz Roka

  Florida Gulf Coast University

  6 shared

• Jeffrey P. Prestemon

  5 shared

• Zhengfei Guan

  Florida Gulf Coast University

  4 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Economics

  North Carolina State University

Awards & honors

• Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Award