Agricultural economics defined; Our national economy - some basic choices; Our national economy - wealth, productivity, and income; Money and agricultural finance; The problems of agriculture and macroeconomic policy decisions; The economic setting of american agriculture; The economic history of american agriculture; The nature and scope of agricultural economics; Production of agricultural goods and the concept of supply; Consumption of agricultural products and the concept of demand; Supply, demand, and the role of market price; The concept of elasticity; Market structure: the conditions of competition; Price spreads, market levels, and marketing margins; Agricultural cooperation; Production management; Joint supply functions and derived demand; Budgeting: a management tool; The economics of land use and value.

This book showcases the power of economic principles to explain and predict issues and current events in the food, agricultural, agribusiness, international trade, natural resources and other sectors. The result is an agricultural economics textbook that provides students and instructors with a clear, up-to-date, and straightforward approach to learning how a market-based economy functions, and how to use simple economic principles for improved decision making. While the primary focus of the book is on microeconomic aspects, agricultural economics has expanded over recent decades to include issues of macroeconomics, international trade, agribusiness, environmental economics, natural resources, and international development. Hence, these topics are also provided with significant coverage.

This book contains a vintage handbook on farm economics, with information on different farming systems, machinery, marketing produce, buying equipment, keeping records, and much more. Although old, much of the information contained within this book is timeless and will be of considerable utility to modern prospective farmers. Contents include: “The Nature and Scope of Agricultural Economics”, “Systems of Farming”, “The Farming Considered as a Business Empire”, “Some Units of Economic Measurements in Farm Organization and Management”, “Farm Records and Accounts”, “Cost of Production”, “Size of Farms”, “Selection of Farm Enterprises”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on agriculture and agronomy.

This textbook addresses the main economic principles required by agricultural economists involved in rural development. The principles of 'micro-economics' or 'price-theory' are of relevance to economists everywhere, but this book reinforces the message of their relevance for rural development by explaining the theory in the specific context of the agricultural and food sectors of developing countries. Hypothetical and actual empirical illustrations drawn almost exclusively from such countries distinguish this book from other economic principles texts that draw their examples almost invariably from industrialised countries, and also from books more oriented to the issue of rural development. The first half of the book deals with the underlying principles of production, supply and demand. These are essential tools for the study and management of the agricultural sector and food markets. In the second half, supply and demand are bought together into a chapter of equilibrium and exchange. This is followed by chapters on trade and the theory of economic welfare. In the final chapter it is shown that much of the material in the earlier chapters can be combined by agricultural economists into a system for analysing and comparing the effects of alternative agricultural policies. The ability of agricultural economics to provide a consistent framework for the analysis of policy problems thus enables it to make a key contribution to rural development.

This Handbook offers an up-to-date collection of research on agricultural economics. Drawing together scholarship from experts at the top of their profession and from around the world, this collection provides new insights into the area of agricultural economics. The Routledge Handbook of Agricultural Economics explores a broad variety of topics including welfare economics, econometrics, agribusiness, and consumer economics. This wide range reflects the way in which agricultural economics encompasses a large sector of any economy, and the chapters present both an introduction to the subjects as well as the methodology, statistical background, and operations research techniques needed to solve practical economic problems. In addition, food economics is given a special focus in the Handbook due to the recent emphasis on health and feeding the world population a quality diet. Furthermore, through examining these diverse topics, the authors seek to provide some indication of the direction of research in these areas and where future research endeavors may be productive. Acting as a comprehensive, up-to-date, and definitive work of reference, this Handbook will be of use to researchers, faculty, and graduate students looking to deepen their understanding of agricultural economics, agribusiness, and applied economics, and the interrelationship of those areas.