Future priorities in agribusiness education: An Australian perspective

Abstract

The concept of agribusiness has become an academic discipline. In the United States three events have helped foster this development. These are: the origination of Agribusiness: An International Journal, the 1986 American Agricultural Economics Association Research Workshop, and the 1987 White House Conference on Agribusiness. Much of the leadership has come from a relatively small group of US agricultural economists. Australian agricultural economists have not provided such leadership. The current broad evaluation of education in Australia does give a forum in which to discuss this issue, and this conference is an important focus of that. Movement is underway in several Australian schools to look seriously at this possibility. Educational priorities in Australia are quite similar to those in the US and the Land Grant system provides a useful model.