The 2018 AEASA Conference proves its relevance

by Jacques Murdoch, jacquesm@elsenburg.com

IIn 1961, the Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), the professional organisation of agricultural economists in South Africa was founded, and the first annual conference was held the following year. In 2018 the conference was held at the Lord Charles hotel in Somerset West from 25 to 27 September. As usual, it not only provided the tightly-knit community with the opportunity to reunite and reconnect, but also to share past lessons and future ambitions.

The conference provided a platform for young and upcoming agricultural economists to showcase exciting new studies, and also for experienced ones to share their wisdom, which often leads to deep and interesting discussions afterwards.

With the theme being “Practicing agricultural economics in an uncertain neighbourhood”, the many plenary and parallel sessions over the course of the three days highlighted how aware the agricultural economist must be regarding the influence of politics on the sector. Four of the plenary sessions were focussed on the role of agricultural economists in different work environments, notably in policymaking, agribusiness and government, as well as in the wine and horticultural industries. The fifth panel discussed growth and investment in the agricultural sector in the context of the uncertainty related to land reform.

Included in the programme were also two invited panels, one discussing food security and agriculture and the other the African continental free trade area. Staying current with technology, short electronic presentations that proved popular among many were introduced, instead of the usual paper-poster presentations.

With the high standard that these conferences achieve, next year’s conference in Bloemfontein is not to be missed and should prove to be exciting. AP