Agricultural Economics & Rural Development

Farm economics, markets, policy, land, food security and rural livelihoods.

Agricultural economics applies economic methods to farming and food: farm management and profitability, agricultural markets and prices, risk and insurance, technology adoption, and the effects of agricultural and trade policy.

Rural development and food security research looks at land tenure and land reform, smallholder livelihoods, rural poverty and the bioeconomy - often with a strong regional focus, since institutions and farm structures differ widely between countries.

Studying agricultural economics & rural development

Degree programs in this subject often run under these names:

What you typically learn

  • Farm management and accounting
  • Agricultural markets, prices and trade
  • Agricultural and food policy
  • Marketing and supply chains
  • Rural development and food security
  • Econometrics and quantitative methods

Where graduates typically work

  • Banks, insurers and agricultural finance
  • Agribusiness, trade and cooperatives
  • Farm management and consulting
  • Ministries and international organizations
  • Market analysis and research institutes

Curricula differ by country and institution - the program pages linked below have the details.

Where to study agricultural economics & rural development

233 programs in 68 countries. See all 233 programs

Where research is heading

Typical research questions

  • How do agricultural policies and subsidies affect farm incomes, production and the environment?
  • What determines whether farmers adopt new technologies?
  • How can farms and rural households manage price and weather risk?
  • How do land rights and tenure systems affect investment and productivity?

Publications per year

Papers whose main topic belongs to this field, 2010–2025.

0 20k 40k2010: 26,61020102011: 27,4742012: 28,6682013: 30,8442014: 31,9012015: 33,07320152016: 35,3482017: 33,3862018: 33,7892019: 33,7072020: 32,79520202021: 30,9382022: 27,1192023: 28,1982024: 29,5072025: 35,7712025

Research fronts: fastest-growing topics

Papers 2024–2025 compared with 2021–2022, topics with at least 500 recent papers.

Topic2021–20222024–2025Change
Digitalization and Economic Development in Agriculture[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]1,5253,281+115%
Agricultural Economics and Practices[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]4,0665,957+47%
Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]2,4263,407+40%
Food Security and Socioeconomic Dynamics[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]3,4404,623+34%
Agricultural risk and resilience[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]1,9792,524+28%
Land Rights and Reforms[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]5,5496,629+19%

Largest topics

By number of papers 2024–2025.

  1. Agricultural economics and policies[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 7,155
  2. Land Rights and Reforms[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 6,629
  3. Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 6,612
  4. Agricultural Development and Policies[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 6,526
  5. Economics of Agriculture and Food Markets[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 6,487
  6. Agricultural Economics and Practices[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 5,957

Highly cited recent papers

Most-cited articles and reviews published 2024–2025. Citation counts favor reviews and papers published early in the window.

  1. Biomass Energy and Biofuels: Perspective, Potentials, and Challenges in the Energy Transition Debora Mignogna, Márta Szabó, Paolo Ceci et al. · Sustainability · 2024 · 247 citations · Open access
  2. Biofuels versus climate change: Exploring potentials and challenges in the energy transition Rafael Cardoso Rial · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · 2024 · 237 citations
  3. Digital economy empowers sustainable agriculture: Implications for farmers’ adoption of ecological agricultural technologies Chunfang Yang, Xing Ji, Changming Cheng et al. · Ecological Indicators · 2024 · 213 citations · Open access
  4. Digitalisation in agriculture: A scoping review of technologies in practice, challenges, and opportunities for smallholder farmers in sub-saharan africa Dennis Junior Choruma, Tinashe Lindel Dirwai, Munyaradzi Junia Mutenje et al. · Journal of Agriculture and Food Research · 2024 · 207 citations · Open access
  5. Circular Bioeconomy in Action: Transforming Food Wastes into Renewable Food Resources Priti Pal, Akhilesh Kumar Singh, Rajesh K. Srivastava et al. · Foods · 2024 · 197 citations · Open access
  6. Valorisation of agro-industrial wastes: Circular bioeconomy and biorefinery process – A sustainable symphony Mrunal S. Wagh, S. Sowjanya, Pinku Chandra Nath et al. · Process Safety and Environmental Protection · 2024 · 197 citations

New working papers and reports

Latest additions to AgEcon Search, the open repository for agricultural and applied economics - much of it never appears in a journal. More recent papers.

  1. The Renewable Energy-Growth-Inequality-Emissions Nexus: A Novel Wealth-Based Inequality Indicator and a Reconsideration of the Environmental Kuznets Curve Cortili, Alessio · Working paper · 24.2026 · Oct 2026 Climate ChangeEnvironmental Economics and PolicyResource/Energy Economics and Policy
  2. The Impact of Food Insecurity on Intentions to Move: Findings from the North Central Region / Research Brief Mori, Samantha; Mindes, Samuel C.H. · Working paper · Oct 2026 Community/Rural/Urban DevelopmentConsumer/Household EconomicsFood Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety
  3. Implications of Vietnam’s Rice Export Limit for the Global and U.S. Rice Markets Ajewole, Kayode; Sabala, Ethan; Lin, Jessie et al. · Report · Economic Research Report No. 366 · Oct 2026 Agricultural and Food PolicyCrop Production/IndustriesDemand and Price Analysis
  4. Land Use, Conservation Policies, and Agricultural Production in Brazil and the United States Valdes, Constanza; Davis, Eric C.; Callahan, Scott et al. · Report · Economic Research Report No. 367 · Oct 2026 Agricultural and Food PolicyCrop Production/IndustriesEnvironmental Economics and Policy
  5. Corn and Soybean Cost of Production in Brazil and the United States Valdes, Constanza; Gillespie, Jeffrey; Bonin, Daniel et al. · Report · Economic Information Bulletin No. 310 · Oct 2026 Agricultural and Food PolicyCrop Production/IndustriesDemand and Price Analysis
  6. Characteristics and Trends of U.S. Rice Production Practices, Costs, and Returns, 2013−24 Vaiknoras, Kate; Gillespie, Jeffrey; Childs, Nathan · Report · Economic Information Bulletin No. 308 · Oct 2026 Crop Production/IndustriesDemand and Price AnalysisFarm Management

All study programs in agricultural economics & rural development

All study programs