Conference Theme
The New Landscape of Global Agriculture
Conference Sub-themes
Plenary Lectures
In addition to the opening ceremony, the Elmhirst Memorial Lecture and the Presidential Address, the programme will include five additional plenary sessions covering the five sub-themes:
New driving forces in emerging economies shaping the global agricultural landscape
This session explores the driving forces from the largest emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and China (the BRIC countries), Eastern Europe and Africa (especially South Africa) that could shape the global agricultural landscape. Many of these countries have experienced high economic growth in recent years. Real GDP in developing Asia, especially China and India, increased by 9 percent per annum between 2004 and 2006. Sub-Saharan Africa also experienced rapid economic growth of about 6 percent in the same period. Beyond 2008, developing-country growth is expected to average 6 percent. This growth together with high income growth in many low-income countries is bound to fundamentally change the demand side of the world food equation. This together with increased urbanization in many of the populous developing countries will also have a major impact on spending and consumer preferences - all likely to shape the new landscape of global agriculture.
The new economics and politics of market power in the agricultural and food industry
It is sometimes argued that agricultural economists' work on market power of agribusiness is one of the areas where 'mischief has been done'. This session hopes to correct that perception. With the increasingly concentrated agricultural and food systems and the increasing dominance of large supermarket chains in national and global food chains, there is demand for more economic analysis on this issue and also a need for more evidence of the economic effects of the abuse of market power. Economic analysis is thus needed to show whether market power does bring welfare losses for producers as well as consumers or whether it has benefits such as cost reductions associated with economies of scale. Agricultural economists are increasingly getting involved in competition policy issues related to the food industry. It is therefore necessary to thoroughly review our empirical tools given that access to data for such empirical work becomes very restrictive.
Global public goods and 21st century agriculture
The world economy of the 21st century is now much more open and integrated than before but despite this there are sharp divides, tensions, and conflicts. In this globalized world it is not only about moving more goods and services into markets, fostering integration of international markets and encouraging such private cross-border economic activity as trade, investment, transport, travel, migration, and communication. But globalization is also about increased publicness - about people’s lives becoming more interdependent. Events in one area of the globe often unleash repercussions that are felt around the world. As a result Global Public Goods – such as international policy principles, norms, treaties, laws, and standards on such global concerns as advancing peace and security, controlling terrorism and drug trafficking, averting the risk of global climate change, combating the spread of communicable diseases, or constructing global communication and transportation networks - is a critical part of the globalized society.
Global Public Goods (defined as goods with benefits that extend to all countries, people, and generations) critical to future agricultural systems include climate stability, environmental sustainability, food safety, disease control and recently the more holistic concept of 'biosecurity'. For all of these knowledge is a necessity and here international agricultural research, usually also defined as a global public good, still needs to play a critical role. Most of these public goods are intangible and are more 'conditions' than concrete things. Their provision is thus difficult to monitor and verify, and so especially prone to running off course.
The new landscape and the need for an extension to the agricultural economics toolkit
This session provides opportunity to illustrate how other disciplines and recent adjustments to the agricultural economics discipline assist in addressing the new emerging and likely more complex issues in the new global agricultural landscape.
Energy and advances in technology
The global agricultural landscape will continue to be influenced by the increased production of and demand for bio-energy. At the same time the increased advances in technology especially mobile telephony (and general internet connectivity) - will impact on agricultural systems world-wide in a variety of ways. As the global food price crisis unfolds agricultural economists will also carefully study how these new developments can impact on food price trends.
The plenary programme outline above provides the skeleton of the conference programme and in way also sets the tone for the debates. There are however many slots in the programme which rely solely on the inputs of members. These include, invited panels, mini-symposiums and contributed papers.
Structure of Preliminary Program
| Sun 16 | Mon 17 | Tue 18 | Wed 19 | Thu 20 | Fri 21 | Sat 22 | |
| 8:30-10:30 | Registration and Learning Workshops | 09:30-10:30 Opening Ceremony | Plenary Session | Poster Session | China Focus Session | Plenary Session | Contributed Papers |
| 10:30-11:00 | Coffee/Tea | ||||||
| 11:00-12:30 | President's Address & Elmhirst Lecture | Poster Session | Plenary Session | China Focus Session | Poster Session | Invited Panel | |
| 12:30-1:30 | Lunch | ||||||
| 1:30-3:30 | Plenary Session | Invited Panel | Contributed Papers | Field Trip | Plenary Session | Plenary Session | |
| 3:30-4:00 | Coffee/Tea | Coffee/Tea | |||||
| 4:00-5:00 | 4:00-5:30 Contributed Papers | Discussion Groups | Computer Sessions | Contributed Papers | Conference Synopsis | ||
| 5:30-7:00 | 6:00 Welcome Reception | Contributed Papers | Discussion Groups | Council Meeting | Closing Reception | ||
| 7:00 | Council Meeting | Social Event | Conference Dinner | ||||
Program Contact
Prof. Johann Kirsten
IAAE Vice-President: Programme
Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science
University of Pretoria
Pretoria
0002
South Africa
Tel: +27-12-4203248
Fax: +27-12-4204958
E-mail: johann.kirsten@up.ac.za