AGRIBUSINESS AND THE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS PROFESSION: RESEARCH AGENDAS IN AGRIBUSINESS

This paper presents a summary of work by various groups on the potential for agribusiness research by agricultural economists over the past decade. Methodology to establish research priorities in agribusiness are reviewed. This review leads to a consideration of the agribusiness research issues including: funding sources, identifying users of agribusiness research, data needs, and limitations of agribusiness research programs. The final part of the paper presents a potpourri of suggested research initiatives in agribusiness research for agricultural economists. Research in these areas may be difficult for a number of reasons including: decreased reliance on economic theory as the sole paradigm, providing competitive advantage to a single agribusiness firm while balancing public and private needs and funding sources, and data confidentiality. Suggestions for outlets for academic research are presented