Ekta Joshi graduated from Cornell with a PhD in applied economics and management in 2024. She is an economist in the agrifood economics division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Her research at TCI focused on the scope and ability of farmer producer organizations (FPOs) to promote smallholder commercialization and aid agricultural development in India. As part of her doctoral research, she conducted surveys of 1,800 farmers across 100 FPOs in the country to analyze the implications of FPO membership on farming outcomes—one of the first large-scale studies of the individual-level impacts of FPOs in India. Prior to joining Cornell, Ekta worked with the International Rice Research Institute in their agri-food policy division and with the Centre for Policy Research. Ekta also holds a master’s degree from Madras School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree from Delhi University’s Hindu College.