Dr Rio Maligalig
Grant-Funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Economics
College of Business and Law
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I am an agricultural economist and a Grant-Funded Researcher at the Centre for Global Food and Resources (CGFAR) at Adelaide University. I completed my PhD in Agricultural Economics at the University of Adelaide. My PhD research examined Filipino smallholder rice farmers’ preferences for improved varietal traits using an experimental Investment Game Application.
My research focuses on sustainable agricultural and rural development in Southeast Asia, especially in smallholder farming systems in developing country contexts. I study farmer decision-making, technology adoption, women’s empowerment, value chains, and food and nutrition security. I am interested in how new technologies and production practices affect productivity, resilience, and long-term sustainability.
My experience spans large-scale survey design and implementation, econometric and mixed-method analysis, and collaboration with international research partners. I have published in peer-reviewed journals and have contributed to undergraduate teaching and postgraduate supervision.
My research expertise lies in agricultural economics, with a strong focus on smallholder farming in developing economies. My research integrates both quantitative and qualitative methods, including experimental games, household surveys, process net mapping, and focus group discussions, to address real-world challenges in agricultural productivity, food and nutrition security.
I am currently involved in the following research projects:
Impact Assessment of the Seeds of Life Project in Timor-Leste
Enhancing Food and Nutrition Security through an Improved Understanding of Farming Households and Value Chains in Timor-Leste
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 - ongoing | Researcher | University of Adelaide |
| 2019 - 2021 | Grant-Funded Researcher | University of Adelaide |
| 2009 - 2014 | Associate Scientist | International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños |
| 2008 - 2009 | Consultant | International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Scholarship | International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) | - | - | - |
| 2014 | Scholarship | Lee Foundation Rice Scholarship | - | - | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 - 2018 | University of Adelaide | Australia | PhD |
| 2005 - 2008 | University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Baños | Philippines | MS |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Maligalig, R., Peralta Sanchez, A., Loch, A., & Tavares, M. (2025). The National Seed System of Timor-Leste: Evaluating the Legacy of the Seeds of Life (SoL) Program. In n/a. Brisbane. |
| 2024 | Maligalig, R., Peralta Sanchez, M. A., & Loch, A. (2024). Timor-Leste’s National Seed System: Overview of its Structure, Challenges, and Opportunities. In 68th Annual Conference Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Maligalig, R. L., Umberger, W., Demont, M., & Peralta, A. (2018). Farmer preferences for rice varietal trait improvements in Nueva Ecija, Philippines: A latent class cluster approach. Poster session presented at the meeting of International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) Triennial Conference. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. |
| 2018 | Maligalig, R. L., Demont, M., Umberger, W., & Peralta, A. (2018). Using Experiments to Understand Gender Influence on Intrahousehold Decision Making for Investment in Rice Varietal Trait Improvements. Poster session presented at the meeting of 2018 International Rice Congress. Singapore. |
| 2017 | Maligalig, R. L., & Demont, M. (2017). Farmers’ preferences for varietal trait improvements: The case of rice farmers in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Poster session presented at the meeting of 9th Asian Society of Agricultural Economists (ASAE) International Conference. Bangkok, Thailand. |
| 2017 | Maligalig, R. L., Demont, M., Umberger, W. J., & Peralta, A. (2017). Intrahousehold decision making on rice varietal trait improvements: Using experiments to estimate gender influence. Poster session presented at the meeting of 2017 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting. Chicago, Illinois. |
| 2010 | Maligalig, R. L., Gummert, M., Flor, R., Pyseth, M., & Sorn, V. (2010). Farm-level impacts of the adoption of postharvest technologies and interventions in Cambodia. Poster session presented at the meeting of 28th International Rice Research Conference. Hanoi, Vietnam. |
| 2010 | Flor, R., Gummert, M., Maligalig, R., Pyseth, M., & Sorn, V. (2010). Negotiating change: farmer adoption of postharvest interventions in Cambodia. Poster session presented at the meeting of 28th International Rice Research Conference. Hanoi, Vietnam. |
| 2010 | Flor, R., Gummert, M., Maligalig, R., Pyseth, M., & Sorn, V. (2010). Negotiating change: farmer adoption of postharvest interventions in Cambodia. Poster session presented at the meeting of 28th International Rice Research Conference. Hanoi, Vietnam. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Johns, C. (2023). Exploring consumer-driven food value chain and market opportunities in Pacific SIDS countries. (PhD Thesis, University of Adelaide). |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Raitzer, D. A., Sparks, A. H., Huelgas, Z., Maligalig, R., Balangue, Z., Launio, C., . . . Ahmed, H. U. (2015). Is Rice Improvement Still Making a Difference? Assessing the Economic, Poverty, and Food Security Impacts of Rice Varieties Released from 1989 to 2009 in Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines. |
| Grants as co-CI | $ to UoA | Years | Donor | Category |
| Enhancing Food and Nutrition Security through an Improved Understanding of Farming Households and Value Chains in Timor-Leste | $500,000 | 2025-2027 | ACIAR | Cat1 |
Tutor: ECON 3525 Economic Policy Analysis III, Semester 2 2024
Marking of Assignments: AGRIBUS 7054 Global Food and Agricultural Policy Analysis, Semester 2 2024
Marking of Assignments: AGRIBUS 7053 Globalisation and Agriculture in Emerging Economies, Semester 2 2023
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - 2023 | Co-Supervisor | Exploring consumer-driven food value chain and market opportunities in Pacific SIDS countries | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mr Craig Johns |
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