Protensia stands to the right of someone dressed as Albert Einstein.

Protensia Hadunka

PhD - Graduate 2025

About

My research focuses on the intersection of agricultural and environmental economics, where I apply causal inference methods, machine learning, and remote sensing to address critical societal challenges, including climate change, food security, land use change, and deforestation. I analyze the effectiveness of climate adaptation strategies and their impact on agricultural productivity and food security. Additionally, I explore how these strategies influence decisions around charcoal production, a key driver of deforestation. My work aims to generate insights that inform evidence-based decision-making, enhancing resilience to climate-driven shocks while minimizing their effects on food security, deforestation, and commodity prices.

Education

PhD in Agricultural and Consumer Economics Department, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (2019 – Present)

MSc in Agricultural and Consumer Economics Department, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (2017 – 2019)

BSc in Agricultural Economics, University of Zambia (2010-2015)

Publications

Mulenga, B. P., Hadunka, P., & Richardson, R. B. (2017). Rural households’ participation in charcoal production in Zambia: Does agricultural productivity play a role?. Journal of Forest Economics, 26, 56-62.

Working Papers

Hadunka, P., Baylis, K., & Okada, V. (2023) .“Staple crop pest damage and natural resources exploitation: fall armyworm infestation and charcoal production in Zambia” August 2022 draft.

Hadunka, P., & Baylis, K. (2023) “The effects of invasive pests on food security. Evidence from Zambia”August 2023 - draft.

Hadunka, P., & Mulenga, B.P. (2023) “Does minimum tillage mitigate the effects of rainfall variability on maize yield? The case of smallholder maize farmers in Zambia” August 2023 - draft.

Hadunka, P., Baylis, K., & Thornton, R. (2022) “Does the providing efficient transportation improve the price knowledge among rural households? Evidence from Malawi”. March draft 2022 - draft.

Sullivan, J., Baylis, K., Konar, M., Hadunka, P., & Boser, A. (2023) “Food systems across rural to urban gradients”. August draft 2023 - draft.

Wang, J., Konar, M., Anderson, P., & Hadunka, P., (2023).“Trends and determinants of crop- land allocation household decisions in Zambia: A spatio-temporal analysis”

Work Experience

2017 - To date Research and Teaching Assistant, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL

2021 - 2021 Teaching Assistant (Part-time) - Machine Learning for Applied Economists, Uni- versity of Bonn, Germany

2019 - 2019 Data Quality Controller, Musika Development Initiative, World Food Program and Business Development Services Africa-SME, Zambia

2016 - 2017 Intern, Musika Development Initiative, Zambia

2013 - 2015 Field Supervisor, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CYMMIT)