About
Founded in agriculture, rooted in life.
Our statewide network of faculty and staff fulfills our mission to educate and serve our communities by developing and sharing new knowledge and technologies to address challenges related to agricultural production, economic development, and the natural environment.
Our department is nationally recognized for its teaching, research, and extension activities, and we're committed to the land-grant heritage and tradition of discovery, education, and service. We offer undergraduate degrees in agricultural economics and management, and environmental and water resource economics, preparing students to assume responsible positions in the management of the world’s natural and human resources. At the graduate level, the we offer an M.S. in Agricultural & Resource Economics, with specializations in applied econometrics, and environmental and natural resource economics. Faculty welcome graduate students as essential to the maintenance of an invigorating intellectual climate and a successful research program. In addition to teaching, faculty in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics conduct applied research in five broad areas:
- Agricultural Economics — Agricultural production, agricultural markets and risk management, agribusiness organization and management, and agricultural biotechnology
- Agricultural Economics Policy — Crop insurance, farm income support, disaster aid, nutrition, conservation, energy, international trade, risk management policies, federal programs, state and local economic performance
- Natural Resource and Environmental Economics — Natural resource economics, land economics and law, water resource economics, environmental economics and law, environmental policy, and non-market valuation
- Development Economics — International development economics, and regional and community development economics
- Applied Econometrics — Applications of econometrics
Finally, our department is committed to the outreach component of a land-grant university, providing workshops, conferences, trainings, and releasing publications, tools, and resources for communities across the state. Our Cooperative Extension teams provide Arizona crop and livestock budgets, as well as analyses of environmental and natural resource policy, marketing and risk management, and regional and community development economics.
Our history
The University of Arizona's Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics has a proud legacy that spans over 80 years, having been established with just two faculty members. In its early years, the department focused primarily on research and extension activities aimed at advancing Arizona’s agricultural industry. However, it didn’t take long for the department to expand its horizons and begin making a significant impact beyond state borders. Within just two decades, the department's research activities broadened, establishing a strong regional, national, and even international presence. One of its most notable early achievements was the launch of a longstanding research project in Brazil, which helped pave the way for the department’s global influence.
By the early 1970s, the department had grown rapidly, doubling in size and diversifying its research focus. It was during this time that the department became known for its expertise in water resource issues—an area that would go on to shape much of its future work in agricultural and resource economics. The department’s innovative research in this field earned it recognition not only across the U.S. but around the world. As the decades passed, the department continued to thrive, further establishing its reputation as a leader in research, education, and outreach throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
The dawn of the 1990s and 2000s brought significant changes, however. Reduced funding from state appropriations created new challenges for the department, leading to a decline in some of its international research efforts. The overall size of the department also contracted, reflecting the tightening financial landscape. Despite these challenges, the department has continued to build on its historical strengths, fostering a strong legacy of research excellence and adapting to the ever-evolving needs of the agricultural and resource economics fields.
Today, the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Arizona is not only a testament to the university’s rich academic history but also a dynamic and forward-thinking institution committed to tackling the critical issues of the future, from global agricultural sustainability to water resource management and beyond.