UNIVERSITY AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS EDUCATION: CHANGING FUNCTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

Agricultural economics is a branch of applied economics born at the turn of the 20th century. Its primary role was to use economic and its own newly developed methods to contribute towards an improved use of resources in agricultural production. It is recognized as one of the fundamental disciplines in university-level agricultural education, with its own subjects, modules and programmes. University-level education in agricultural economics (UEAE) traditionally rests on four pillars: agricultural economics, farm management, food marketing and agricultural policy, complemented by numerous other fields that extend beyond the narrow framework of economics and into other social sciences.