Structural Transformation of Agriculture and Rural Spaces (STARS)

Structural transformation describes the process by which low-income societies, in which agriculture absorbs most labor and generates most economic output, become high-income societies characterized by a relatively smaller but more productive agricultural sector.

The STARS Fellowship Program pairs early-career researchers with faculty mentors to advance rigorous, policy-oriented research on the causal determinants of productivity and income growth, asset accumulation, rural employment and risk management in agriculture and rural spaces. The core objectives of the program include:

Build and reinforce an effective policy research culture among early-career researchers that can help build and sustain research capacity at their institutions beyond the STARS program.
Provide mentorship to early-career researchers by Cornell University and other affiliated institution faculty and researchers.
Conduct professional development activities to supplement the research process, including trainings, seminars, and feedback sessions.
Create an active network of equipped, policy-engaged, collaborative researchers, connected to leading global authorities in the development research space.
Heighten the exposure and rigorous analysis of high-quality, publicly available data, such as LSMS-ISA data and other micro-level panel data sets.

The STARS Fellowship program began in 2016 as a follow up to the World Bank-led Agriculture in Africa: Telling Myths and Facts project. At the time, the Structural Transformation of African Agriculture and Rural Spaces (STAARS) program was launched as a response to 1) promote research project creation and leadership by early-career researchers from African institutions, 2) use rich, publicly available datasets, like the Living Standards Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA), to answer important, policy-relevant research questions. From 2020 to 2024, the program expanded to also include a team-based program sponsored by the USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Policy Research, Capacity and Influence, the Structural Transformation of African and Asian Agriculture and Rural Spaces (STAAARS+), opening eligibility for teams from South and Southeast Asia.

Today, the STARS program builds on and encompasses the successes of both the STAARS and STAAARS+ programs, supporting early-career researchers from any low and lower-middle income country to pursue rigorous, policy-oriented research.

STARS research broadly encompasses topics relating to the structural transformation of agriculture and rural economies in low and lower-middle income countries. More specifically, topics include:

Dynamics of agricultural inputs use, technological change, and productivity growth.
Rural factor (e.g. credit, labor, land) and product market performance.
Agri-food systems and value chains.
Food security, nutrition, health, and education linkages.
Poverty dynamics, risk management, and resilience against shocks.
Sustainable natural resources management.