The profession of Agricultural Economics was born out of the
attempts of early pioneers in the United States to address two fundamental
questions, namely (1) “What is the (reciprocal) relationship between the
agricultural sector and the rest of the economy?” and (2) “How can farms be
managed more efficiently?”
The Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch
University was the first such Department in South Africa, and was established
in 1925, with Prof JFW Grosskopf as first Chair. The first BSc graduates
followed in 1926 and the first Masters graduates in 1930. So far, the Department has graduated almost 2000 students with a Bachelor's degree, and some 400 with a postgraduate degree. Apart from Prof
Grosskopf, Department Chairs have included SP van Wyk, Eckart Kassier, Jerry
Eckert and Nick Vink.
Agriculture is the
biggest source of production and employment in rural areas, and it is the
key to a successful economy. Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch
University focusses on the management of these processes at farm, provincial,
national and international level. It
incorporates the study of natural resources, agribusiness, the
processing
and marketing of agricultural products as well as the analysis of a range of
macro-economic factors from politics to institutions to economic policy.
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