Global Institute for Agri-Tech Economics officially launched at Harper Adams University

Posted 21 October 2019

Professor James Lowenberg-BeDoer speaks with guests at the launch dinner

The Global Institute for Agri-Tech Economics (GIATE) has been officially launched at Harper Adams University by Vice-Chancellor Dr David Llewellyn. The GIATE is a worldwide network of leading multidisciplinary researchers and stakeholders which brings together experts working on the application, adaptation and adoption of innovative agricultural technology.

At the official launch Dr Llewellyn said: “The best way to predict the future is to create it, and that’s what we’re doing now at the threshold of the fourth industrial revolution. The Institute is aiming to connect researchers around the globe to focus on the application, adaptation and adoption of innovative agricultural technology in farms and agri-businesses. The research it will undertake will impact policy and enable participating researchers to take a global lead on in the discipline as we push forward with the agri-tech agenda.”

The GIATE is partially sponsored by the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust and is closely aligned to the National Centre for Precision Farming. It is led by the university’s Chair of Agri-tech Economics, Professor James Lowenberg-DeBoer, and Chair in Agri-Tech Economic Modelling, Professor Karl Behrendt. Its research will include farm economics, productivity and efficiency in the farming sector, and value chains as well as regulation, policy and governance.

Dr Jordan Shockley, from the University of Kentucky, attended the launch and was excited about the GIATE’s potential at a global level, saying: “The Global Institute for Agri-Tech economics is a really interesting concept that I hope to be a part of. The networking opportunities in terms of exchanging data and getting researchers around the world on the same page with regards to agri-tech economics are really exciting.”

Professor Lowenberg-DeBoer said: “We hope the Global Institute will provide a forum for agri-tech economists to work together to share information and methodological challenges, work on joint projects and review each other’s papers. Everything you would expect in a solid scientific collaboration.”

The launch dinner was part of a two day workshop on agri-tech economics held at Harper Adams, the GIATE’s first event, which brought together world leading experts and researchers for lectures and breakout knowledge sharing sessions. The workshop was hosted in partnership with the International Network For Economic Research (INFER)..

During the workshop, Dr Andreas Meyer-Aurich from the Leibniz Institute of Agriculture and Bio-economy was enthused by the possibilities the GIATE offered, saying: “In this field we can always work better when we work together so I’m interested to work closer with researchers across different continents through the Global Institute for Agri-Tech Economics.”

See more from the workshop on Agri-Tech Aconomics