Muhammad Azher Bhatti

Azher works as an economist at NMBU, with responsibilities in project budgeting, financial analysis, financial management, and providing guidance and support to project leaders in financial matters and system development. He possesses strong expertise in externally funded projects. He completed his industry-based PhD with a specialization in economic modelling and policy impact evaluation.

His research interests include agricultural value chain analysis, development economics, evaluation of donor-funded programs, and applied quantitative modelling. Over the past nine years, Azher has worked as a researcher and economist in large-scale development projects across Asia and Africa. This includes collaboration with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in Pakistan and Norwegian-funded aid programs in Malawi, where he led economic analysis and capacity-building activities.

Azher has also collaborated with the Norwegian food industry and is actively engaged in research partnerships with colleagues at Charles Sturt University and the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI). He has experience in both academic and policy-oriented roles and has been involved in projects funded by NORAD, NFR and HK-dir through institutional collaboration programs.

His research work incorporates tools such as cost-benefit analysis, value chain modelling, productivity analysis, and policy simulations, often based on data from household surveys, farm enterprises, and national statistics. He has published in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to advancing knowledge in sustainable agriculture, food systems, and rural development through economic modelling and scenario analysis.

In his current role, Azher contributes to budgeting and strategic financial planning at the faculty level, supporting effective resource allocation in research and educational projects.