Agricultural and Food Policy
 
(4201-410)

This is the webpage of the master course "Agricultural and Food Policy", given during my time at the University of Hohenheim until 2008.

Note: The side is not updated, but some general information might still be useful.
 
 
Objectives of the module:
On successful completion of the module students should be able to
  • explain the reasons for government intervention in the agri-food sectors of several countries, and identify the policy objectives being pursued;
  • analyse critically how policy programs affect agriculture as well as the domestic and world economy;
  • evaluate the issues of producers, consumers, food safety, agri-environment, rural development and the impact of policy on agribusiness;
  • understand that agricultural and food policy requires a knowledge of the overall nature of the problems being solved, the process of policy formulation, and the role of the various interest groups in the process.

My personal goal is to see all of the students develop a useful understanding of Agricultural and Food Policy, have a reasonable amount of fun getting to that point, and be personally satisfied with their performance.

 
 
> Syllabus
 
 
> Review and Discussion Questions
 
  Role Playing Project:
Students will act as representatives of selected countries in a WTO Ministerial Conference held in Hohenheim.
> Guidelines for the Role Playing Project
 
   
 
Lecture Notes
 

Here you find some lecture notes and additional material that might be of interest when following the course on Agricultural and Food Policy.

 

Introduction; Policy Setting and Policy Problems of the A-F Sector
If you want to read a detailed dissussion of the farm problem model, see
Gardner, B. (1992): Changing economic perspectives on the farm problem. Journal of Economic Literature (30), March, pp. 62-101
(read first part of this article, pp. 62-85, you can ignore the last section on US farm policy)


Economic Foundations of Policy Intervention and
Essential Economic Tools for A-F Policy Analysis


Policy Analysis of General A-F Policy Instruments


Interdependence and the Gains from Trade


Some further slides and information on the WTO and the URAA

WTO related links that might help you with the role playing project (have also a look at the "general links of interest" further below):


Agricultural Income Policy: Direct Income Payments, the Green Box and Decoupling
> Maybe this helps:  
> For those interested in the OECD studies I referred to:  


Agri-Environmental Policy
> Links of interest:  

Agricultural trade and environmental policies
The WTO page describes the links between WTO Agreements and the environment, in a non-technical language - it's quite a good place to start:


I handed out 4 articles dealing with the implications of "agflation", i.e. the relationship between rising food prices and the demand for food and biofuels etc.; the subject will be discussed in the lecture.

Furthermore, have a look at these links (even if there might be some shortcomings in the assumptions of the first article, it provides a good starting point for discussion):


A-F Policy in Developing Countries

Link of interest:


Income Fluctuations, Farm Risk Management and Government Involvement

For those who want to dig deeper:
With focus on developing countries:


Agricultural Policy Paradigms and Path Dependency

Link of interest:


General links of interest: