Hayk Khachatryan

Dr. Hayk Khachatryan

Professor and Extension Economist

Food & Resource Economics Department
Mid-Florida Research & Education Center
2725 Binion Road
Apopka, FL 32703-8504
(407) 884-2034, x151
hayk@ufl.edu
Vita (PDF)
Dr. Khachatryan on Google Scholar

Dr. Khachatryan is a professor in the Food and Resource Economics Department and Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, and specializes in behavioral and experimental economics.

Dr. Khachatryan’s research program confronts economic theory with experimental methods to investigate factors driving consumer demand for green industry products and services, and studies the link between urban environmental policies and pro-environmental behavior. Recent empirical work estimates the effects of policies and regulation on consumer behavior, such as sustainable production labeling or economic incentives for water conservation in the urban environment. Other projects integrate stated preferences and visual attention data to investigate shopper behavior and effectiveness of point-of-sale advertising and promotions.

Dr. Khachatryan’s Extension program focuses on sustainable developments in the environmental horticulture industry, as well as determination of impacts of horticultural practices and policies in the urban environment. His program aims to improve marketing practices and profitability of environmental horticulture industry firms (greenhouse/nursery growers, wholesalers, retailers, landscape services firms, and allied suppliers) through educational support to county Extension agents and industry stakeholders.

Dr. Khachatryan received his PhD (Interdisciplinary; Economics, Marketing, and Environmental Science) and MA (Applied Economics) from Washington State University.

Research and Extension

  • Consumer behavior
  • Experimental economics
  • Pro-environmental behavior
  • Temporal preferences
  • Urban and environmental policy
  • Economic impact analysis

Recent Publications

Li, Y., Palma, M., C. Hall, H. Khachatryan, and O. Capps. 2018. Measuring the Effects of Advertising on Green Industry Sales: A Generalized Propensity Score Approach. Applied Economics, Forthcoming.

Rihn, A., H. Khachatryan, and X. Wei. 2018. Assessing Purchase Patterns of Price Conscious Consumers. Horticulturae, 4(3), 13.

Khachatryan, H., and A. Rihn. 2018. Defining U.S. Consumers’ (Mis)perceptions of Pollinator Friendly Labels: An Exploratory Study. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 2(3), 365-378.

Khachatryan, H., A. Rihn, B. Behe, C. Hall, B. Campbell, J. Dennis, and C. Yue. 2018. Visual Behavior, Buying Impulsiveness, and Consumer Behavior. Marketing Letters, 29(1), 23-35.

Khachatryan, H., A. Rihn, B. Campbell, B. Behe, and C. Hall. 2018. How Do Consumer Perceptions of ‘Local’ Production Benefits Influence Their Visual Attention to State Marketing Programs? Agribusiness: An International Journal, 34(2), 390-406.

Soto, J., F. Escobedo, H. Khachatryan, and D. Adams. 2018. Consumer Demand for Urban Forest Ecosystem Services and Disservices: Examining Trade-offs Using Choice Experiments and Best-Worst Scaling. Ecosystem Services, 29, 31-39.

Campbell, B., H. Khachatryan, and A. Rihn. 2017. Pollinator Friendly Plants: Reasons for and Barriers to Purchase. HortTechnology, 27(6), 831-839.

Khachatryan, H., A. Rihn, B. Campbell, C. Yue, C. Hall, and B. Behe. 2017. Visual Attention to Eco-Labels Predicts Consumer Preferences for Pollinator Friendly Plants. Sustainability, 9(10), 1743.

Suh, D.H., Z. Guan, and H. Khachatryan. 2017. The Impact of Mexican Competition on the U.S. Strawberry Industry. International Food & Agribusiness Management Review, 20(4), 591-604.

Suh, D.H., H. Khachatryan, A. Rihn, and M. Dukes. 2017. Relating Knowledge and Perceptions of Sustainable Water Management to Preferences for Smart Irrigation Technology. Sustainability, 9(4), 607.

Khachatryan, H., and A. Rihn. 2017. Consumer Perceptions of Plant Production Practices that Aid Pollinator Insects’ Health. HortScience, 52(5), 749-755.

Zaffou, M., A. Rihn, B. Campbell, H. Khachatryan and O. Hoke. 2017. Influence of Product Type and Perceptions on the Geographic Boundary for Local Products. International Food & Agribusiness Management Review, 20(3), 401-414.

Behe, B., P. Huddleston, C. Hall, H. Khachatryan and B. Campbell. 2017. Do Real and Fictitious Plant Brands Differ in Brand Recognition, Awareness, Purchase Intention, and Visual Activity? HortScience, 52(4), 612-621.

Hovhannisyan, V., and H. Khachatryan. 2017. Household Level Demand Analysis of Ornamental Plants in the United States. Agribusiness: An International Journal, 33(2), 226–241.

Khachatryan, H., D.H. Suh, G. Zhou, and M. Dukes. 2017. Sustainable Urban Landscaping: Consumer Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Turfgrass Fertilizers. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 65(3), 385-407.

Current Funding

Title: “Investigating Economic Contributions of Sustainable Residential Landscapes”
Duration: 2018-2019
Funding Agency: University of Florida, Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, Program Enhancement Grant
Award Amount: $29,826

Title: “Identifying the Best In-store and Trade Show Displays and Promotions for Green Industry Stakeholders”
Duration: 2017-2019
Funding Agency: National Horticulture Foundation (NHF), Formerly National Foliage Foundation
Award Amount: $30,000
Role: Principle Investigator

Title: “Economic analysis of sustainable landscaping practices in Florida: Homeowner's Willingness to Pay for Fertilizer Attributes and Factors Affecting the Adoption of Smart Irrigation Controllers”
Duration: 2017-2019
Funding Agency: University of Florida, Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, Graduate Student Support Grant
Award Amount: $21,540
Role: Principle Investigator

Title: “Protecting Pollinators with Economically Feasible and Environmentally Sound Ornamental Horticulture”
Duration: 2016-2021
Funding Agency: United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Specialty Crop Research Initiative
Award Amount: $6,509,975
Role: Co-Principle Investigator