The Department of Agricultural Economics is one of the three departments in the newly created School of Agriculture and Enterprise Development (SAED). The Department currently offers a well-designed Bachelor of Science (Agribusiness Management) degree to students being for careers in management related to agriculture, food, agribusiness, trade, rural and allied sectors of the economy. The program is superior to agribusiness management programs elsewhere in that it is firmly rooted in a “management” culture and proficiency as opposed to either technical or economic – based backgrounds and cultures, unlike in other programs.
Agribusiness careers can cross into a multitude of industries as well, including farming, retail marketing, food processing and investments, just to name a few. Some of the most common career options available include:
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- Farm appraiser - assesses the value of a farm, its employees and facilities
- Agricultural policy analyst - develops and analyzes policies that affect agricultural businesses
- Farm manager - manages daily operations of a farm, including crops and livestock
- Crop producer - grows grains, field crops, vegetables, fruits, nuts and more
- Grain and livestock trader - buys supplies of grains, seeds and cattle for a farm's operations
- Market analyst - analyzes the financial condition of the agribusiness economic market
- Financer - provides financial assistance for agribusiness, such as matching crop suppliers with farms
- Quality controller - focuses on improving the output and quality of a farm's production
- Marketing head - leads marketing strategy for a farm; builds awareness and buzz
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The Department offers two Master of Science and two PhD Programs in Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics. (Check Programmes Tab)
Location
The Department is located on the Third floor of the new Arts Complex (Christened the ‘twin towers’) next to the computer centre and the students’ centre. Our office number is AC Room 3025.
The Department offers the following programmes:
Undergraduate Programmes
Postgraduate Programmes
- Master Of Science In Agribusiness Management and Trade
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Farm Business Development
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Trade and Development
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- Master Of Science In Agricultural Economics
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Agricultural Trade and Policy
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Agriculture and Rural Development
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Environment and Natural Resource Management
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Agribusiness Management
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- Doctoral Programmes
Academic members of staff engage in a number of research activities covering the following broad themes:-
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- Agribusiness Supply/Value Chain Analysis and Management
- Agricultural marketing
- Agricultural Policy Analysis
- Livestock Economics
- Collective marketing
- Market Innovations
- Regional and International Agricultural Trade
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Members of staff in the Department have won competitive Research grants from the following organizations among others:-
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- IFPRI 2020 Vision Network for East Africa – to carry out research on “The Role of Infrastructure and Government Policies in Influencing the Efficiency of the Maize Marketing System in Kenya”.
- SIDA – to carry out research on “The millennium Development Goals and the African Food Crisis”.
- EU-EDULINK – to write a regional Ph.D. program on Agricultural and Rural Innovation Studies (ARIS).
- SIDA – to carry out research on “Food Distribution within Family Based Networks.”
- SIDA-SAREC VicRes initiative – to carry out research on “An Investigation into the Poverty-Environmental Degradation Nexus: A Case Study of Selected Watersheds in the Lake Victoria Basin.”
- HAAGRIM: Involves exchange of staff and students for capacity building in Agriculture
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- Prof. Job Kibiwot Lagat
- Prof. George Owuor
- Prof. Samuel Mazera Mwakubo
- Dr. David Mulama Amudavi
- Dr. Rose Adhiambo Nyikal
- Dr. Margaret W. Ngigi
- Dr. Eliud Abucheli Birachi
- Dr.Sabina Wangia
The Department is developing PhD Course-work curricula for applicants without prior exposure and mainstream training in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness and to improve on the general competency of our Ph.D training. The areas of specialization will be as indicated above for the respective programs. Curricula for two undergraduate programs undergoing review to be ready for launching in September 2015
BSc. Agricultural Economics
The BSc program is aimed at producing well-rounded agricultural Economists who can
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- Examine data to determine patterns and trends in economic activity
- Conduct research to collect data and market samples
- Use the predictions obtained from their research to inform, influence, and improve the business decisions of clients and agricultural organizations.
- Determine market indicators like farm income and food prices
- Communicate their findings at seminars and conferences to encourage further research
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Trainees will study many areas, such as:
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- Natural resource management
- Agricultural policy
- Food science
- Farm credit
- Agricultural marketing systems
- Commodity exchanges
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Diploma in Agriculture and Food Marketing
Other plans include strengthening and expanding our links/partnerships with Agribusiness institutions and firms. We already have in place a fruitful collaboration with local agribusiness and research companies.
The Department is expanding its network and already tapping the opportunities in the provision of technical training in Agribusiness Management.
