The Economics of Agro-Food Value Chains

This module will give you an introduction and overview of the course. In the second lesson of this module, we will talk about the current challenges and trends in the agro-food value chain. In the third lesson of this module, the concept of quality in the agro-food value chain will be introduced. The module finishes with the fourth lesson, which gives you an overview of the food value chain.

In Module 3 you will learn about market research. After the module you will know the definition, role and types of market research in addition to the research process and the ethics of market research. In the second lesson of the module you will learn about the different types of data and various methods of data collection. The last lesson of the module then deals with data analysis, where you will learn about the most commonly used statistical and econometric techniques to analyze data.

In Module 5 you will be introduced to “Food Labeling”. In this module you will learn how labels can work as a tool to solve market failures due to asymmetric information and hear about reputation mechanisms based on trust and signaling.

In Module 6 we will talk about the effect of price as a signal for quality. The module also includes the implication of consumer psychology and quality perceptions on pricing tactics.

At the end of this module

This module is about “Geographical Indicators”. After the module you will be able to explain the notion of “Geographical Indication” and the key facts about the protection of GIs in the EU. You will also be able to explain the importance of the GI sector within the EU market.