LOJK10255U Agricultural and Food Policy

Volume 2026/2027
Education

MSc Programme in Agricultural Economics
MSc Programme in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

Content

The agri-food sector contributes to, and is affected by, several environmental and social challenges, including, for example, climate change, deforestation, poverty, malnutrition, and poor working conditions. Addressing these challenges is key to promoting and achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and is the key goal of agricultural and food policies in both higher-income and lower-income countries.

This course will introduce some of the most important agricultural and food policies (such as EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, US biofuel support policy, payment for environmental services, technology adoption and climate adaptation policies, value chains, school feeding programs, standards and labels, emergency aid, fortification, education and nudging). We will discuss the rationale for these policies and provide you with theoretical concepts and analytical tools needed to evaluate their economic effects. We will also look at the empirical evidence regarding their effectiveness. 

Learning Outcome

The main objective of this course is to provide a theoretical framework and practical skills for analyzing the impact of agricultural and food policies and for designing optimal policy. Upon having completed this course the student is expected to be able to:

Knowledge

  • Point out stylized features of common agricultural and food policies in a welfare economic framework

  • Provide examples of specific agricultural and food policies from both developing and developed countries

Skills

  • Analyse the impact of a policy in a formal economic model

  • Analyse the impact of a policy using empirical methods

  • Analyse optimal policy design in relation to specific model assumptions

Competences

  • Conduct an independent economic analysis of an agri-food policy

  • Develop abilities to write and present essay on selected agri-food policy

     

Selected scientific journal articles and textbook sections. A literature list will be announced at the beginning of the course.

Courses in mathematics, microeconomics and econometrics at the bachelor level.

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
Lectures and group based exercises
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 33
  • Preparation
  • 89
  • Practical exercises
  • 24
  • Project work
  • 60
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Individual
Collective
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral exam on basis of previous submission, 20 minutes
Type of assessment details
Submission: group paper/essay written during the course.

Oral exam: individual oral examination (20 minutes, no preparation) based on the previous submission and the course curriculum.

If the submission is not fulfilled, the student cannot take the oral exam
Aid
Only certain aids allowed (see description below)

For the written part all aids are allowed.

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For the oral part no aids are allowed. You can bring your group paper/essay to the oral part.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Re-exam

Same as the ordinary exam

 

The student must submit a new individual paper/essay or resubmit their group paper/essay.

If the submission is not fulfilled, the student cannot take the oral exam

 

Re-exam: The submission must be delivered 2 weeks before the re-exam

Criteria for exam assesment

The assessment is based on the criteria given by the Learning Outcomes