NPR - SQUARE PEGS AND ROUND HOLES: CAN BUSINESS SCHOOLS DO AGRIBUSINESS AND FARM MANAGEMENT?

Abstract

Globally, tertiary institutions are struggling with how best to respond to the growing industry demand for Agribusiness graduates. Mainstream ‘business colleges and schools’ are potential candidates to deliver agribusiness programs. Firstly, we describe what agribusiness scholarship is, then what type of curricula and teachers underpin good scholarship. Historically, more successful agribusiness programs, evolved from agricultural colleges and land grant universities. Based on literature review, case study and personal experience, we consider prospects for delivery of agribusiness programs by mainstream business colleges and schools. In identifying and discussing sixteen (16) factors,   we conclude that, except in all but a very few isolated instances, business schools have poorer understanding of the complexity of agribusiness and farm management scholarship.  Furthermore, business schools are often ill equipped in the underpinning philosophical requirements for agribusiness education and training. We suggest a major change in philosophy, built around inductive multidisciplinary delivery capacity is essential for most mainstream business colleges and schools to be appropriate vehicles for agribusiness and farm management scholarship.  

Keywords:” agribusiness scholarship, farm management, agricultural economics, agribusiness teachers, teaching of agribusiness and farm management