Department of Agricultural Economics
Department of Agricultural Economics, within the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, at Urmia University started its activity in 2010 with admitting students for a master’s degree program. At present, this department is operating with 4 faculty members in four disciplines, namely:
1. Production Economics and Management of Agricultural Units
2. Natural Resources and Environment Economics
3. Marketing of Agricultural Products
4. Agricultural Policy and Development
The admission of students for a bachelor’s degree has been finalized and from November 2021 undergraduate students will be studying in the department of agricultural economics.
Agricultural economics is a practical branch of economics that, with a set of economic principles and methods, examines the economic factors affecting agricultural activities, the existing economic relationships between the factors of agricultural products and applies the economic principles in agricultural production and development. It should be noted that graduates of this major, as analysts and economic experts, can study agricultural development programs at the regional and national levels.
In this department, various studies and researches have been done in the form of thesis and research projects in various economic fields, which can be briefly mentioned as follows:
- Water economics,
- Efficiency and productivity of agricultural products,
- Economic analysis in the form of input-output tables,
- Investigation of production structure of agricultural units,
- Trade of agricultural products,
- Agricultural policies,
- National and international marketing of agricultural products (target markets of medicinal plants and other agricultural products),
- Behaviors of consumers of various agricultural products,
- Agricultural tourism economics and environmental pollution issues in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors,
- Environmental efficiency in agriculture,
- Evaluation of ecosystem services
- Designing the cultivating pattern of agricultural products,
- Cultural-social and economic issues of Urmia Lake catchment area and different values of Urmia Lake.
Agricultural economics engineers can work as experts in organizations and agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad, rural cooperatives, agricultural banks, and agricultural production and processing units. Graduates of this department, especially at higher levels, will be able to prepare, manage and implement economic plans for agricultural activities. They can also engage in educational and research activities.