![[Dept. of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics]](http://njaes.rutgers.edu/_common/images/subheads/dafre.gif "[Dept. of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics]"){kind=small}
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The following goals emanate from our mission 1. To achieve scholarly excellence in economic research on emerging issues unique to a urban/suburban environment. 2. To be proactive and to achieve excellence by providing continual, strong, high quality support for stakeholders in analyzing, planning and facilitating adjustments to urbanization. 3. To provide effective, cutting edge undergraduate and graduate education programs in the areas of business economics, environmental and natural resource economics, and economics of the food system including agriculture and the food industry. 4. To foster team efforts including other institutions and stakeholders. 5. To provide a responsible work environment in which the individuality, worth and dignity of each member is respected and personal and professional development are encouraged. Programmatic Area Missions and GoalsThe Programmatic areas include 1. Research Research MissionDAFRE’s research mission is as follows: To advance the frontiers of knowledge within the discipline of economics, and between economics and related disciplines, on current and emerging issues related to agricultural, food, agribusiness, environmental and natural resources multidisciplinary research that draws upon relevant expertise from the fields and upon an outreach program that elicits input from our clientele in the private and public sectors.
Major departmental efforts are directed toward addressing the challenges facing the agriculture, food industry, agricultural policy makers and public and private decision makers on issues related to natural resources and the environment in New Jersey and other urbanizing/suburbanizing regions in the world. The department will continue its frontier research into policy issues such as farmland assessment, sustainability of agriculture, farmland preservation, right-to-farm issues, quality-of-life effects of farming, the structure and performance of the key agriculture and food sectors, technology transfer, effectiveness of public and private research, irrigation financing, solid waste management, environmental quality, land use at the urban fringe, coalition building between agricultural and environmental interests, new use agriculture, other emerging farm products and crops, nutraceuticals, international agricultural development, costs of production, and regulations facing agriculture. Current and evolving research initiatives will emphasize the sustainability of agriculture and include such areas as the:
The research program builds on the New Jersey experience as a frontier state in issues related to rapidly changing agriculture, rapidly evolving food industry, high demands on natural resources and the environment and the urban environment. As a premier department in policy related research, the DAFRE seeks to provide leadership in multidisciplinary research by utilizing a problem-solving approach to address pressing issues in our areas of interest and expertise. The mission-related goals of the research program are as follows:
Teaching MissionThe Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics supports an undergraduate major entitled "Environmental & Business Economics" (373), an academic "minor" by the same name, and a graduate program leading to a Masters of Science degree in "Agricultural Economics." The undergraduate program and faculty also provide courses included in the college's requirements for graduation and/or for completion of other majors within the college. Undergraduate Program MissionThe mission of the undergraduate program is to prepare students for citizenship and employment by fostering the ability to apply economic concepts and principles to the analysis of public and private sector issues and problems, and an understanding of the institutional factors underlying and influencing policy decisions with particular emphasis on the agriculture, food industry, and natural resources. In pursuit of the mission of the undergraduate program, the curriculum and courses are periodically reviewed, revised, and designed to provide both for our students and for those in other curricula, with:
The "Information Age," advanced technologies, increased competition in the market place, globalization of the economy, and demands for accountability emanating from taxpayers, employers, and other stakeholders compel us to approach curriculum development and instruction in new and exciting ways. Increasingly, computers, software, and other emerging technologies are being integrated in courses to facilitate modeling, analysis and the decision-making processes. Distance learning opportunities and cooperative relationships with other institutions (such as those being developed through the Kellogg Food Systems Professions Initiative and the Mid-Atlantic Consortium) will facilitate educational development by allowing students and faculty alike to benefit from expertise and other resources for learning that would otherwise be unavailable. The undergraduate curriculum's core courses and three options (i.e., Business Economics, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, and Food Industry Economics) qualify students for a broad spectrum of positions in business and government, and/or for continued study at the graduate level. Alumni find positions in companies such as American Express, ADP, AT&T, G.E., ITT, Johnson and Johnson, Merck, Merrill Lynch, Commodity Exchange, Dean Witter, Stock Exchange, Farm Credit Corporation, Food Enterprises Inc., Frito-Lay Inc., M&M Mars Company, Nestle Food Corporation, Pepsi Cola Company, USDA, and Wakefern Company. Graduate Program MissionThe mission of the M.S. program is to deliver graduate education that enables students to apply economic concepts and quantitative techniques to current problems of the agricultural and food industries and those related to natural resources and the environment. Students develop research skills by conducting independent research guided by faculty whose expertise includes the interface between agriculture, food and the environment. Specific mission-related goals of the graduate program are as follows:
Outreach MissionThe outreach mission of the department includes the development, implementation, and evaluation of the impact of outreach programs to industry, policy makers and the general public that address economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, agribusiness, environmental and natural resources in urbanizing areas. Examples of the department's outreach efforts include our continued commitment to the proactive development of policy tools for agricultural development, the development of the Agricultural Economic Recovery and Development Initiative, the Farm Business Management and Marketing Training Program, coalition building and conflict resolution and public policy education initiatives, work in direct marketing, education programs and support provided farmers and other constituents in financial management and budgeting, and "Think-Tanks" involving departmental and university faculty in support of various agricultural and food industry enterprises in New Jersey. In the environmental area, examples of outreach efforts include collaborations and partnerships with environmental interests groups and organizations (e.g., New Jersey Recycling Forum, ANJR and Environmental Research Associates) as we continue to seek solutions to environmental policy problems. Mission related goals in the area of extension or outreach include the following:
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