Chair's Message

Picture of Andreas BoeckerWelcome to the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (FARE)! Thank you for taking the time to visit our website. We are a research intensive department that cares deeply about our students and the relations with our stakeholders and partners in urban and rural Ontario and beyond.

Throughout our history, our research focus has been on agricultural economics and agribusiness, food economics, resource economics, and the economics of agricultural development. Our research excellence has been recognized nationally and internationally. We strive to bring our research discoveries to bear on relevant policy issues, for example through our Institute for the Advanced Study of Food and Agricultural Policy.

Our applied research factors heavily in our teaching and we take great pride in providing exceptional learning experiences in our undergraduate and graduate programs. In all of our undergraduate programs we focus on contributing to the development of future leaders in the agri-food and resource sectors:

Bachelor of Commerce in Food and Agricultural Business
Bachelor of Arts in Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics
Bachelor of Sciences in Environmental Sciences in Environmental Economics and Policy
Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management in Food Industry Management (jointly with the Department of Food Science)

Our Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy graduate programs emphasize the application of contemporary theories and state-of-the art methods to problems related to food and agriculture, resource use and economic development. This training of future research and policy leaders emphasizes the importance of evidence-based decision making to tackle policy issues effectively and to communicate our research outcomes with clarity, purpose and meaning.

We reach out and engage with a broad community of stakeholders on a personal and ongoing basis. We provide commentary and analysis informed by faculty and graduate research through our FAREShare newsletter, and in-depth discussion and insight from leading economic and policy thinkers on current issues through our FARETalk podcasts. Through media interaction and various public forums, many FARE faculty comment actively on contemporary agri-food, resource and development issues.

Please explore our website. If you have questions and want to find out more or want to provide feedback, please contact one of our staff and faculty, or me.

Andreas Boecker, Chair