Agricultural Economics

A.Y. 2023/2024
8
Max ECTS
72
Overall hours
SSD
AGR/01
Language
Italian
Learning objectives
The educational objectives of the course concern knowledge:
- characteristics and analysis tools of agribusiness;
- methods and tools of economic analysis of the agricultural farms;
- the main agricultural economic statistics sources and their use.
Expected learning outcomes
- Understanding the dynamics of the agribusiness
- Implementation and analysis of farm balance
- Use of economic statistical sources
Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Part One: Characteristics of agriculture and the agribusiness
1. The dynamics of productive resources (land, capital, work) and consumption at the international level.
2. The role of agriculture in the economy and society, Agriculture in the development process (IN)
3. The agro-industrial system: definition and measurement of agribusiness and supply chain (IN)
4. Characteristics of agricultural production (IN)
5. Value of agricultural production (IN)
6. Food industry and distribution sector (IN)
7. Farms and agricultural enterprises: definitions and characteristics (C)
8. The marketing of agricultural products, price formation and characteristics (D)
Part Two: Farming Economics
9. Farm and agricultural enterprise (C, BF, introduction)
10. The production factors of the farm and the relationships between their holders (D, BF 2.1)
11. Farm types (C, BF 2.1.4); structural and typological characteristics of the farms (C, BF 2.6)
12. Evaluation of the results of the farm (BF 2.2)
13. The economic balance of the farm (BF 2.3; E)
14. Economic analysis of farm management: production processes (BF 2.4; E)
15. The final evaluation of the entrepreneur's choices: evaluation of production processes and cost determination (BF 2.5; E, F)
16. Preventive evaluation of choices (BF 3.1; E)
17. The constraints on choices: internal to the company, deriving from the environment, deriving from policies.
18. Short-term choices (BF 3.2); the constraints on the choices given by the CAP
19. Medium-long term choices: investment analysis (BF 3.3); support for investments in rural development programs
Prerequisites for admission
Knowledge of economic language (acquired in the course of Elements of Economics)
Knowledge of the methods of use of agricultural land and of the productive characteristics in agriculture and animal husbandry.
Knowledge of elementary statistical methodologies.
Teaching methods
The educational objectives of the course concern knowledge and analysis:
- characteristics and analysis tools of agribusiness;
- methods and tools of economic analysis of the agricultural farms;
- the main agricultural and economic statistics sources and their use.
To this end, the following are envisaged:
Frontal lessons for some parts of the program.
Use of economic and agricultural information available on the web.
Farm Budget Exercise.
Teaching Resources
Reference texts:
F. Bruni, S.Franco (2003), Economia dell'impresa e dell'azienda agraria, FrancoAngeli
Supplementary teaching materials will be made available on the Ariel/MyAriel platform of the course. Part of such material is currently available on the Internet at: http://sites.unimi.it/pretdepa/didattica.htm
Assessment methods and Criteria
It is possible to take a partial test (optional) during the course. This test is reserved for attending students.
At the end of the course there will be an oral or written exam concerning the part of the program not covered by the test (if performed with a positive result). The choice whether to take an oral or written test will depend on the number of students attending. The type of final test (oral or written) will be communicated promptly after the first lessons of the course
AGR/01 - AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND RURAL APPRAISAL - University credits: 8
Practicals: 16 hours
Lessons: 56 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
by appointment
Department of Environmental Science and Policy (Via Celoria, 2; 3rd floor)