Agricultural and Food Policy

The agri-food sector contributes to, and is affected by, several environmental and social challenges, including, for example, climate change, deforestation, poverty, malnutrition, and poor working conditions. Addressing these challenges is key to promoting and achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and is the key goal of agricultural and food policies in both higher-income and lower-income countries.

This course will introduce some of the most important agricultural and food policies (such as EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, US biofuel support policy, payment for environmental services, technology adoption and climate adaptation policies, value chains, school feeding programs, standards and labels, emergency aid, fortification, education and nudging). We will discuss the rationale for these policies and provide you with theoretical concepts and analytical tools needed to evaluate their economic effects. We will also look at the empirical evidence regarding their effectiveness.