Peter Kelly

Peter Kelly is an economist and social entrepreneur focused on agricultural innovation and environmental sustainability. He is the founder of Grow Further, a nonprofit unleashing the potential of global food systems through inclusive agricultural research funding. Prior to founding Grow Further, Peter served as an assistant professor of economics at Renmin University in Beijing, where he taught and published on agriculture, international development, and the environment. Peter has played a founding or leadership role in numerous organizations addressing climate change, social enterprise, and homelessness. He co-authored the bill establishing the Washington Sustainable Farms and Fields Program, a first-of-its-kind state-level grant initiative for climate-smart farming. As Vice Chair of Carbon Washington, he helped expand the $454B green bonds market in the U.S. and co-founded the 1.5 Climate Strategies Group, raising $30M for high-leverage climate action. He also helped launch the China and India programs of Social Venture Partners, advises startup social enterprises, and judges social impact business competitions including the University of Washington Environmental Innovation Challenge.

English: Native, Chinese: Full Professional Proficiency

Sources of Inefficiency in a Massive Payments-for-Environmental-Services Program, Slippage from the Conservation Reserve Program (with Michael Roberts), Comparing Farmland Set-Asides in China and the West, Asymmetric Fuel Price Adjustment in China (with Yu & Huang), 250 Questions to Ask Before Submitting an Economics Article

Highest teaching evaluations, Renmin University School of Economics, UC Regents Scholarship (UC’s most prestigious undergraduate award), Howard Walton Clark Prize in Plant Breeding and Soil Building, Foreign Expert Certificate, PRC, Summa Cum Laude, UC Davis

• Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship, Judge, 2019
• Fledge Accelerator, Mentor for African agricultural startups
• Seattle Chinese Garden, Interpreter for visiting builders
• Referee/reviewer for top journals in development and environmental economics

• Carbon Washington — Vice Chair (2018–), Board Member (2017–), Policy Committee (2017–)
• Samaritan — Advisory Board Member (2016–)
• Social Venture Partners International — India Expansion Team (2015)
• Social Venture Partners Beijing — Founding Partner (2013–2015)
• Asia Rice Foundation USA — Board Nominating Committee (2018–)
• Washington Business Alliance — Carbon Reduction Design Team (2017)
• Journal of Forest Economics — Associate Editor (2015–2020)
• Decarbon8 / E8 Angels — Due Diligence Chair for cleantech investments
• 1.5 Climate Strategies Group — Founding Steering Committee Member
• University of Washington — Environmental Innovation Challenge Judge (2016–)

• “Does the China Factor Matter?” (with Chen & Yu), Social Science Journal (2016)
• “Land Retirement and Non-Farm Labor” (with Huo), World Development (2013)
• “Do Farmers or Governments Make Better Choices?” (with Huo), Journal of Forest Economics (2013)
• “Agricultural Extension Agent Time Allocation” (with Hu et al.), China Economic Review (2009)
• “Soil Erosion in Oneida County” (with Rayne), Northeastern Geology (1999)
• Numerous op-eds and book reviews on development, economics, and sustainability

• Nonprofit Board Governance (Seattle Works)
• Rural Economy (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Iowa State)
• Chinese-language economics courses (Sichuan Ag. Univ. & Chinese Academy of Sciences)

• Interviewed by CCTV-2, China Radio International, Hubei Provincial TV
• Op-eds: Giving Compass, Washington State Wire
• Panelist & keynote speaker at global conferences hosted by:
• Gates Foundation, IFPRI, Stellenbosch University, Sichuan Agricultural University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, University of Washington, Agricultural & Applied Economics Association