On the policy relevance of agricultural economics

Abstract

The past decade has seen the transition of agricultural economics from perceived irrelevance to being seen as key to saving the world from an array of grand challenges. These challenges include global climate change, non-communicable diseases, hunger and poverty. These challenges require international cooperation. Such cooperation is undermined by global conflicts in which agricultural trade is disrupted either to incentivise policy change or through conflict. The world is vulnerable if trade can be exploited for political power or disrupted by other actions taken for political power. Agricultural economists are uniquely situated to address these issues.