Agribusiness Education Research Articles

Innovation Ecosystems for Teaching Factory Agribusiness: A Strategic Framework

This study investigates innovation ecosystems within Teaching Factory Agribusiness, addressing the critical gap in the literature regarding the absence of a strategic framework to enhance innovation and sustainability in agribusiness education. Using a grounded theory methodology, we conducted in-depth interviews with 20–30 participants, including educators, industry stakeholders, and policymakers, to gain insights into collaboration, resource sharing, and continuous learning dynamics. The results clarify four thematic areas; (1) Collaboration and Partnerships, (2) Resource Mobilization and Sharing, (3) Policy and Institutional Support, and (4) Continuous Learning and Adaptation. The above threads weave together into a framework to make agribusiness education explicit in the functioning of innovation ecosystems. The findings have significance for policy-makers, educationists, and industry personnel involved in improving the quality of agribusiness innovation. Future research directions can be a framework, especially regarding the benefits of innovation, and collaboration through technological facilities.

Exploring the Pathways of Intention to Work in the Agribusiness Sector within a Green Economy Paradigm

The agricultural sector contributes to the success of the green economy by prioritizing sustainable and environmental friendly development. The agricultural sector is a potential sector for the development of main and secondary employment opportunities. Efforts to encourage the younger generation to work in the agricultural sector can contribute to the green economy and the achievement of national SDGs. The objective of this research is to identify the work intentions of the younger generation in the agribusiness sector. This research uses quantitative methods and employs SEM-PLS analysis techniques. Primary data was collected by distributing questionnaires to 152 student alumni from different departments in all universities in Indonesia. These alumni are from the class of 2017-2020. The results show a relationship between knowledge, academic support, and intention to work in the agribusiness sector. Academic support mediates the influence of entrepreneurial behavior on agribusiness work intentions. Likewise, agribusiness knowledge influences academic support through entrepreneurial behavior. The research results show that agribusiness education has a significant contribution in developing the interest of the younger generation to work in the sector. The government can increase the younger generation's interest in the agribusiness sector by integrating agribusiness education into secondary and higher education curricula. With government support and the contribution of the younger generation, the agribusiness sector can become a catalyst for green economic growth.

Agriculture and Development of Agribusiness Management in India

Agribusiness management integrates business principles into agricultural operations, addressing production, marketing, and distribution. The evolution of agribusiness in India has been shaped by globalization, technological advancements, sustainability practices, and education. Singh et al. (2018), in their article Globalization and Agribusiness in India published in the Journal of Agricultural Economics, highlighted the liberalization policies of the 1990s, which expanded market access but introduced challenges such as price volatility. Patil and Sharma (2020), in their work Technological Disruptions in Agribusiness in the Indian Journal of Innovation in Agriculture, emphasized the transformative role of technologies like blockchain and IoT in optimizing supply chains, despite adoption barriers. Kumar (2019), through the Role of Agribusiness Education in Rural Development in the International Journal of Rural Studies, explored how agribusiness education fosters rural entrepreneurship. Sustainability practices, such as organic farming, were detailed by Choudhary and Gupta (2017) in Sustainable Practices in Agribusiness in the Agricultural Sustainability Review, advocating government incentives for broader adoption. Rao et al. (2021), in the book chapter The Role of Government Initiatives in Promoting Agribusiness Startups from Digital Transformations in Agriculture (Springer), analyzed schemes like "Make in India" in fostering agribusiness. Finally, Sharma (2020), in Climate Resilience in Agribusiness in Environmental Science and Policy, addressed climate risks, advocating for resilient practices and public-private collaboration. Together, these findings provide a comprehensive understanding of India's agribusiness landscape, emphasizing sustainability, innovation, and policy support.

Influence of Agricultural Degree Programme environment on career in agribusiness among college students in Nigeria

The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure was used as a universal diagnostic inventory to assess the educational environment of Agricultural Degree Programme of the selected institutions. A logistic regression model, which assumes the probability of respondents' preference for the choice of Agribusiness as a career, was deployed to achieve some objectives of the study. Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and T-Test were also used. The study revealed that majority of the students were trapped below the poverty threshold, with only 27% willing to pursue agribusiness as a career. Although there was evidence of more positive than negative perceptions about their educational environment (50%–87.4%), there were indications that all the indicators captured in the subscales need a lot of improvement (<88%). Similarly, the study found that students’ perceptions of their learning environment, learning atmosphere, quality of teaching, and ease of the course of study have a significant influence on their choice of agribusiness as a career. The study recommends that there must be deliberate efforts to improve the quality of learning by developing tailor-made agribusiness education, quality of teachers, quality of the academic atmosphere, and scholarship for highflyers among the students to increase their participation in agribusiness. Hypothesized Structural Model for the students' choice of Agribusiness.Students’ perception of the of their Education Environment in relation to the Quality World determines their interest in Agribusiness. • Finding shows that 86% of the sampled students live on less $1.47/day. • Students in state universities pay about $181.82 higher than their counterparts in federal universities. • Students' perceptions of their educational environment require a lot of improvement. • Students perceptions of learning and teaching were found to significantly influence their choice of agribusiness as a career. • Policies directed at creating enabling environment to study agriculture will improve students’ interest in agribusiness.

Adoption of Mobile Technologies in Learning: An Agribusiness Case

The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of mobile learning technologies in agribusiness education by examining the effectiveness of a DISCOVERe mobile technology classroom program on students' participation in class activities, their use of instructional materials, their interaction with peers, and their overall learning experience. Online survey data collected from agribusiness students at a California State University during the spring 2018 semester were analysed, hypothesis tests were conducted and a three-stage learning adoption framework was estimated. The results demonstrate that taking the DISCOVERe course significantly improves students' participation in class activities, enhances their access of course materials, makes it easier for them to interact with fellow students, and improves students' overall learning experience. The conclusion is that as students become more familiar with new technologies, they will be more confident in their ability to learn and will be more efficient in acquiring knowledge and exchanging ideas.

Unemployment of rural youth: causes and ways to solve

The article examines the situation on the rural youth labor market and proposes the main directions of overcoming unemployment in rural areas. In particular, it has been established that the financial and economic crisis that has been observed in recent years and military actions in the east of the country have substantially exacerbated this problem. The problem of youth unemployment is the main among economic and social problems of the 21st century, as one of the most important factors in the economic and social development of any country is the socio-cultural and professional development of the youth. In the work the authors use general scientific methods and techniques: formal logic, statistical analysis – to study the state of employment and unemployment in Ukraine; abstract – in the substantiation of theoretical positions and the formulation of conclusions, etc. Particular attention is paid to statistical components, their analysis, also the main reasons of reduction of number of young people employed in agricultural enterprises and the tendencies of self-employment in rural areas are highlighted. The authors assess the impact of current government policy affecting rural youth employment, and make suggestions for its future development. It is proved that the use of advanced innovative technologies, investment and financing of agrarian development programs, entrepreneurial initiatives in agribusiness and vocational education will all make youth in agriculture the driving force that can bring this industry out of a prolonged crisis. It is summed up that the main directions of promoting employment of rural youth are the improvement of the quality of educational services (in particular, state support through budgeting of training in agricultural specialties), information on career opportunities, support of the development of family-owned agribusiness and creative projects, the development of green tourism and the adequate state social protection of young people. Youth is a social capital that requires priority investment, so this subject needs further research.

Value chain analysis – a capstone opportunity for postgraduate agribusiness education

Management education demands educational activities that synthesize discipline specific knowledge with the ability to apply this knowledge in the real world. Manage­ment education broadly applied to commercial horticulture and agribusiness contexts generally requires a capstone phase in which students with an appropriate academic foundation develop deeper insights into their respective industries of interest. This paper outlines some methods or tools suited for agribusiness industry wide or enterprise level study which include value chain approaches. A critical academic task is to ensure that the skill development and foundation knowledge to undertake the capstone study is explicit. With limited resources and time, project design for capstone projects frequently trades what is possible against what is “do-able”.

Strengthening Capacity for Agribusiness Development and Management in Sub-Saharan Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa, agribusiness has a major role to play in the transformation of the agricultural sector. The demand for high-value food products is increasing, creating an opportunity for the production and export of these goods. To capture the benefits of this trend and capitalize on this for long-term agricultural growth, the capacity for agribusiness must be strengthened at all levels. To effectively build the necessary capacities, the skills built by agribusiness education and training must correspond to the needs of the agribusiness sector. This article examines what capacities are needed for agribusiness development and management in sub-Saharan Africa at the individual, organization, and policy process levels. By reviewing the current agribusiness education offerings, this article identifies capacity gaps that must be filled for agribusiness development and wider agricultural transformation.

State of agribusiness management education in India

Agribusiness is a fast growing and market oriented academic discipline due to its high demand in corporate and academic sector across the world. The higher agribusiness education is the solution to problems of meeting the need of agribusiness professionals to farming community and dynamic agribusiness industry. In India, evidence shows that agribusiness faculty is lower than agricultural economics faculty in the colleges and universities. Now, the departments expect more agribusiness faculty to teach more courses for growing student's populations and to maintain research expectations in the agribusiness field. The agribusiness students should develop their strengths in practical and problem solving areas such as team building and interpersonal skills; writing skills and presentation skills. The present study focused on the past, present and future perspectives of agribusiness management education in India. It is also explore the need, importance, present status, curriculum, and challenges of agribusiness management education in India. Lack of teaching faculty, Lack of agribusiness research, Lack of dynamic curricula, and lack of relevant literature are the major obstacles in the development of agribusiness education in India. Indian authorities (ICAR and UGC) can follow the recommendations of National Food and Agribusiness Management Education Commission (NAEC, USA) to develop agribusiness curriculum for master's programme and doctoral degree programme. These recommendations helps to provide a roadmap for educators as they assess their current teaching programs and provide input for further revision of those programs in the future to insure dynamic, vibrant and relevant programs in agribusiness management education. There is a need to critically review the existing agribusiness education system and develop a relevant, flexible, and market oriented agribusiness curriculum and syllabi for master and doctoral programme in India.

Agribusiness Economics and Management

AbstractAgribusiness scholarship emphasizes an integrated view of the food system that extends from research and input supply through production, processing, and distribution to retail outlets and the consumer. This article traces development of agribusiness scholarship over the past century by describing nine significant areas of contribution by our profession: (1) economics of cooperative marketing and management, (2) design and development of credit market institutions, (3) organizational design, (4) market structure and performance analysis, (5) supply chain management and design, (6) optimization of operational efficiency, (7) development of data and analysis for financial management, (8) strategic management, and (9) agribusiness education.

The development of VAG—a 3D virtual agribusiness environment and strategy game

VAG--a prototype animated, interactive, three-dimensional virtual environment model of a supply chain in the agribusiness sector has been developed as a CD-based game of strategy. Users (players) have to both create their supply chain by choosing the components that make it up, and then play the game in the role of the Manager of one of the components in it: the goal being to maximise the success of that component. Evaluation of the player's business acumen and the `health' of the particular component in the supply chain are calculated based on the information use and decision making that transpires. Animation and activated 3D graphics of decision making are trialled as a way of providing an immersive learning experience (the "Know How" rather than simply the "Know What"). This paper introduces VAG Version 1--the concept, the issues and the workarounds required to create this first version as a demonstration tool to enhance agribusiness education and research. A small sample qualitative evaluation of the demonstration model is included to provide some feedback to the future design and development of the concept. The future developmental opportunity for extending VAG into a massive multiplayer online game in true virtual reality is also briefly discussed as a way of extending "E" learning scenarios.

A Look at Agribusiness Education Since the National Agribusiness Education Commission's 1989 Report: The Lincoln Report Revisited

American Journal of Agricultural EconomicsVolume 81, Issue 5 p. 1050-1055 Principal Paper Session A Look at Agribusiness Education Since the National Agribusiness Education Commission's 1989 Report: The Lincoln Report Revisited Michael M. Woolverton, Michael M. Woolverton Continental Grain Professor of Agribusiness ThunderbirdSearch for more papers by this authorW. David Downey, W. David Downey professor and director of the Center for Agricultural Business Purdue UniversitySearch for more papers by this author Michael M. Woolverton, Michael M. Woolverton Continental Grain Professor of Agribusiness ThunderbirdSearch for more papers by this authorW. David Downey, W. David Downey professor and director of the Center for Agricultural Business Purdue UniversitySearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 December 1999 https://doi.org/10.2307/1244082Citations: 4AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume81, Issue5December 1999Pages 1050-1055 RelatedInformation

A Revisit of Agribusiness Education by an Original Critic

When asked to present this paper, I wondered whether I should put on sack cloth and ashes and repent. The tag of original critic comes from my position in a 1987 debate with Lynn Robbins. The debate was arranged by Bruce Beattie for the Western Agricultural Economics Association annual meeting and was prompted by the White House conference, Developing Tomorrow's Agribusiness Leaders, held about three months before. Lynn and I differed, but our subsequent articles seem to mute the differences, maybe because of postdebate revisions. Our articles preceded the Lincoln Report by about a year. At the time of the debate, the United States was coming out of a farm crisis. In some ways, we are there again. At this point in time, there is less pessimism and unrest among farmers. More importantly for us, colleges of agriculture have not experienced the same precipitous drop in enrollment, and that gives us less discomfort. What has happened to the critic, and what are my views now? The theses in my 1988 article are (a) agribusiness as a program or as a discipline is not well differentiated from agricultural economics and (b) our forte is applied economics, not management. I will strongly defend the former and might waffle slightly on the latter. I was never an outright opponent of the agribusiness movement. I just do not see business administration as the city on the hill that some saw and still see.

The State of Agribusiness Teaching, Research, and Extension at the Turn of the Millennium

mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances; and a general industrialization mentality unfolds. This need for agribusiness research has been alluded to or implied by the comments of leaders in academia and industry (Armbruster; Barry; Boehlje; Drabenstott; Eidman; Urban 1991, 1998). With many departments facing retirements in the next few years, this is an opportune time to examine the future direction of agricultural economics and agribusiness. Ten years ago, following the release of the National Agribusiness Education Commission Lincoln Report, debate in the agricultural economics profession centered on the question Is agribusiness something that we as agricultural economists should be doing? (Downey). Today, the question has become How do we incorporate agribusiness into our departments and existing programs? Furthermore, although the emphasis of the Lincoln Report was on education, there have been ramifications on agribusiness research and extension/outreach efforts because most faculty have split appointments. This article provides a baseline of the current state of agribusiness teaching, research, and extension/outreach programs around the country and suggests implications for the future direction of agribusiness. We present the results of a survey of agricultural economics department heads from around the United S ates. The following section describes the survey methodology, the questions included, and the response rate. We then report the results a d discuss outcomes and implications. The concluding section provides insights into the direction for agribusiness within agricultural economics departments over the next five years.

A framework for incorporating case writing assignments in graduate agribusiness courses

Case studies have been the primary tool utilized for enhancing experiential learning in agribusiness courses. The case analysis technique of instruction can be made even more vivid and profound for students when they are involved in the actual gathering of data and writing of cases. The procedures and experiences of actually writing cases, and more specifically involving students in writing new case studies, are not addressed in the existing agribusiness literature. This article relates the case writing activity to the changing profile of agribusiness education and the desirable characteristics of graduates. It also utilizes a specific example to illustrate the issues of class composition and course requirements; and develops a framework for integrating case writing in graduate courses.

Augmenting Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Education with Experiential Learning

Augmenting Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Education with Experiential Learning

Quality and Links with Industry: the agribusiness education experience

ABSTRACT The University of Queensland Gatton College, in developing its Agribusiness degree in the late 1980s, responded to the findings of extensive surveys of agribusiness employers, and to the Australian government's policy of increased international competitiveness, based on value‐added exports. This response took the form of a curriculum which integrated core business disciplines with a suite of linked case study‐based subjects so as to strengthen students’ views of management as a holistic process. The centrepiece of the curriculum is an overseas market evaluation project undertaken by final‐year students in small groups contracted to commercial firms. The firms pay most of the research costs, with assistance from the Australian government, the students and the university. This unique capstone experience requires students to apply their agribusiness training under strictly commercial circumstances in a foreign cultural environment. Each firm's significant financial involvement is the catalyst for en...

Educating The Undergraduate Agribusiness Major

AbstractUndergraduate programs in agribusiness education have attracted much interest in recent years. Many university facilities have developed agribusiness educational programs and others are considering the development of such programs. As these programs evolve throughout the country, there are many questions which relate to the structure and future directions of these educational efforts. A review of the issues related to agribusiness program development is presented. A planning process that can be used to focus on the many agribusiness educational issues and provide insight into agribusiness program development is outlined.

Designing Graduate Education For Agribusiness Students

AbstractFor several years, universities in the U.S. have been struggling with defining and refining undergraduate and graduate agribusiness education programs. With the release of the recommendations of the National Agribusiness Education Commission, the search for the key ingredients of a Masters-level program has intensified.Mississippi State University has been among those universities attempting to define the parameters of a “cutting edge” agribusiness program. Faculty interest within the College of Business and Industry and the Agricultural Economics Department to develop a joint program has precipitated intensive efforts to achieve this goal. A nationally recognized agribusiness group of six academic leaders served as a Cooperative State Research Service team to assess the University's potential, using the concept of an agribusiness institute as an integrating and management vehicle. Efforts in this direction have been aided by a USDA planning grant now moving into its second year. A survey of Mid-South agribusiness leaders indicates the interest of the industry in the development of the program. The final step is to address the logistical details required to convert the current Master of Agribusiness Management in the Department of Agricultural Economics to a jointly administered program of study.

Current status of agribusiness education in Australia

This article discusses the trend of increasing value added processing of Australian agricultural commodities by agribusiness firms and the effect on agribusiness education. Six current agribusiness education programs offered in Australia are identified and examined. Proposed courses to be offered in agribusiness in the next few years are also discussed. Finally, the key factors in agribusiness education development are presented.