Biography

Dr. Devpriya Sarkar is a Lecturer at the Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability (JSES) and Assistant Dean Student Affairs. A PhD-trained academic and policy professional, her work lies at the intersection of sustainability, agricultural economics, and public policy, with an emphasis on evidence-based research and field engagement.

Dr. Sarkar earned her PhD and M.Phil in Social Sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University, where her academic training focused on agricultural economics, rural development, and policy analysis. She holds a Master’s degree in Geography from Sikkim University and a Bachelor’s degree (Geography Hons.) from Banaras Hindu University.

Her M.Phil research was grounded in extensive ethnographic fieldwork with the Ao community in Mokokchung district, Nagaland, focusing on age-old shifting cultivation (jhum) practices and the socio-ecological transformations triggered by state-led interventions promoting agricultural models such as organic farming.  Her doctoral research, further expanded this idea and conducted fields in Sikkim, India’s first organic state. She analysed how distance from urban markets and district headquarters influences production choices, food consumption patterns, crop diversification, price formation, and farmer welfare, highlighting how geography, market access, and policy incentives together drive agrarian transitions.

Before joining academia, Dr. Sarkar worked as a Research Consultant on several third-party evaluation projects for State and Central government institutions. She has contributed to policy analysis using NITI Aayog and OECD-aligned frameworks and field-level realities, and has also authored policy papers on themes related to sustainability.

Dr. Sarkar’s research is primarily field-driven and community-engaged, with a focus on organic farming transitions, rural livelihoods, and sustainability in hilly and North-Eastern regions of India. She has published in reputed outlets such as SAGE Journals and Springer and has been recognized with the Namaste Governor Acharya Award for her research contributions. She is proficient in research and analytical tools including Kobo Toolbox, SPSS, and Advanced Excel.