Chair's Message

Alan P. Ker, Chair

Welcome to our window to the world! The agricultural economics faculty at the University of Guelph have always contributed in important ways to the growth of the University. In the early 1990s the name was changed to Agricultural Economics and Business to reflect its role as the engine of growth for the Bachelor of Commerce undergraduate program and of the residential and distance MBA programs. With the creation of the College of Management and Economics, the role of the department has changed yet again. In 2006, the name was changed to the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics. The name reflects the three areas of expertise in the department: food economics, agricultural economics and agribusiness, and resource economics.

FARE is now a research intensive department that emphasizes our undergraduate majors in the B. Comm program and Ag. Econ. majors in the BA and BSc(Agr) programs, as well as our dynamic MSc and PhD graduate programs. We continue to offer the distance MBA program but have suspended admissions to the residential program.

We view these changes as an unprecedented opportunity for change and growth. We have begun a comprehensive revision of the Agricultural Business major, with leadership provided by Teaching Support Services. We are looking forward to teaching courses that emphasize the unique aspects of food and agriculture. We feel we have an unprecedented opportunity to develop a truly unique undergraduate program that offers not only a strong academic base but international opportunities as well.

The quality of faculty research is indicated not only by the prodigious and growing amount of grant funding generated, but by faculty leading national and international research networks: The Canadian BIOCAP initiative and the National Centre of Excellence in Advanced Foods and Materials. The Canadian Agricultural Trade Policy Research Network (CATPRN), which provides leadership across Canada in trade policy research and analysis, and the North American Agri-Food Market Integration Consortium (NAAMIC), which plays a pivotal role in communicating trade policy analysis across the NAFTA member countries, are both headquartered in the department.

The extent of the change in our responsibilities does not deter us from a firm and unwavering commitment to quality. We celebrated 100 years of providing unparalleled excellence at the 2007 Alumni Weekend.

Alan P. Ker, Chair