In case you are interested in study abroad related to agriculture and agribusiness, ARE will offer courses focused on Australia and on Norway and Sweden during summer I.
Australia
This course will focus on the economics of agriculture and agribusiness in Australia, mainly centered on the state of NSW on the east coast of Australia. We will look at climate extremes, global warming and agriculture, and large-scale agriculture in unfettered markets. We will stress the adaptability and resilience of the sector, the challenges and global opportunities of Australian agriculture and agribusinesses.
Topics to be investigated include water rights and water pricing and distribution in the Darling-Murray river basin. We will examine the advanced biotechnology used in Australian agriculture with visits to CSIRO R&D station in Narrabri, NSW, to look at biotech (GMO cotton and other GMO crops), horticulture crops (bananas, fruits and other specialty crops), the cattle industry in NSW, the economics of large-scale agriculture without farm programs (farms of over 250,000 acres). Practical lessons on the economics of large operations will be drawn.
The program includes visits of Sydney and a few coastal towns (New Castle (large grain terminal for exports), and Coffs Harbour (near banana plantations) and a few national parks (Three sisters, Dorrigo).
Norway and Sweden
This course will look at natural resource businesses in the Arctic Circle. Topics will include large scale farming, niche businesses, agritourism, ecotourism, and the challenges that nature and environment pose to businesses.
We will look at farming and fishing industries in southern Sweden and northern Norway. We will investigate niche marketing and large-scale crop and animal operations in southern Sweden. In the Kiruna area, we will focus on natural resource businesses and the opportunities and challenges of working with the resources available. We will visit the Ice Hotel and discuss the business model surrounding it.
At LKAB, we will discuss the challenges and successes the mining company has had in moving the entire town of Kiruna to a new location. In northern Norway, we will visit the Polar Park, a for-profit arctic wildlife center that provides natural habitat for arctic animal exhibits. The agriculture in the northern part of both countries is small scale and we have several farms and input businesses we will visit around Ballengen and Narvik.
Thank you,
John
Dr. John S. Russ
Undergraduate Coordinator
Director of ARE Distance Education
Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics (ARE)
NC State University
Box 8109
Nelson Hall, Room 3346
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
(919) 515-4677