Joshua Farley

Dr. Joshua Farley is an ecological economist, Professor of Community Development & Applied Economics, and Fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at UVM. He holds a degree in biology from Grinnell College, a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University, and a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Cornell. Though trained in neoclassical economics, he has never accepted its core axioms or ethical underpinnings. His broad research interests focus on the design of economic institutions capable of balancing what is biophysical possible with what is socially, psychologically and ethically desirable.  Previous positions include Program Director at the School for Field Studies’ Centre for Rainforest Studies, executive director of the University of Maryland Institute for Ecological Economics, Fulbright Fellow and visiting researcher at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, and visiting professor at the UF de Bahia.  His most recent research focuses on the economics of essential resources; redesigning financial and monetary systems for a just and sustainable economy; the just distribution of wealth and resources; agroecology, farmer livelihoods and ecosystem services in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest; and transdisciplinary problem solving that integrates research and teaching.  He is co-author with Herman Daly of Ecological Economics, Principles and Applications.