Agricultural Economist

Farm economics and food market analysis

What this life looks like

You connect farming to markets and policy to reality. Agricultural Economists study the economics of food production, agricultural markets, rural livelihoods, and food policy — providing the analytical foundation for decisions that affect what farmers grow, what consumers eat, and how governments intervene in food systems. In Africa, where agricultural policy can affect the incomes of millions of smallholder farmers, this expertise is enormously consequential.

What she actually does

You collect and analyse data on farm incomes, production costs, market prices, and policy outcomes, build economic models to evaluate the impact of different interventions, advise governments and international organisations on agricultural investment and policy, analyse supply chains to identify where value is created and lost, conduct impact evaluations of development programmes, and publish research that guides agricultural investment.

Where you can work

Sector	Places in Africa
Research Institutes	IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute), IITA Economics, CGIAR economy research units
Development Finance	World Bank Agriculture, AfDB Agriculture Department, IFAD, FAO Economics Division
Government	Ministry of Agriculture economics units, national planning commissions, treasury agricultural policy
Universities	Agricultural economics departments across African universities — teaching and applied research

Why it matters in Africa

Agricultural policy shapes the livelihoods of over 600 million Africans who depend on farming for their income. Subsidies, import tariffs, market infrastructure, and credit availability all have major impacts on whether farming is profitable and whether food is affordable. Agricultural economists who can generate rigorous evidence to guide these decisions — and communicate it persuasively to policymakers — are doing work of enormous public value.

Your pathway in

Study Economics or Agricultural Economics at university
Develop strong quantitative and econometric skills — agricultural economics is a heavily empirical discipline
Pursue postgraduate study at the level of master's or PhD for research careers, or build practical experience in development organisations
Gain field experience working with farmers and farming communities — understanding economic decisions from the farmer's perspective is as important as econometric modelling
Connect with the African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE) and IFPRI's Africa team

Skills you will need

Agricultural economics and market analysis
Econometric and statistical methods (Stata, R)
Cost-benefit analysis
Policy analysis
Survey design and field research
Scientific and policy writing

A woman in this field

Dr. Nalishebo Meebelo

Zambia

Nalishebo is a prominent Zambian agricultural economist and the Executive Director of the Regional Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ReNAPRI) in Africa. She has spent decades shaping continental food policy, working closely with the African Union Commission on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) to transform market access, trade, and agricultural investments across Africa.

Read the IFPRI Annual Report for Africa — it summarises the most important agricultural economics research being conducted on African food systems and is freely available at ifpri.org
Study the basics of supply and demand as they apply to agricultural commodities: why do maize prices spike after droughts? Understanding price formation in food markets is foundational
Research the African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE) — they run conferences and publish research that show what African agricultural economics looks like in practice
Study how farm input subsidies work in an African country you are interested in — Zambia and Nigeria have well-documented subsidy programmes with significant academic research on their effects

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