Kyumi Ahn is a rural sociologist whose work mainly focuses on small-scale family farm engagement in the agricultural food markets and the role of farmers’ social relations in the access to the markets. Her current doctoral research delves into the relationship between the farm commercialisation pathways and social capital in the Andean region of Colombia, under the supervision of Seife Ayele and Prof Rachel Sabates-Wheeler.

Her current interests lie in food systems, circular farming, agricultural innovation adoption, and rural poverty reduction. She also provides consultancy for the design and evaluation of policy and programmes that aim to address socioeconomic vulnerability and inequality in rural areas of developing economies. Prior to joining IDS, Kyumi has worked as a researcher in the Korean Rural Economic Institute, where she coordinated ODA projects with Asian and Latin American countries and conducted policy research on agricultural cooperation strategies. Throughout her career, she has acquired quantitative and qualitative research skills.