News

  • The Chameleon: Improving water use, food supply and incomes

    Posted on July 02, 2019

    Globally 1.1 billion people lack access to water and 2.7 billion experience water scarcity for at least one month of the year. Agriculture takes up 60% of freshwater usage. A typical farmer spends a significant amount of time and money irrigating their plots. They often do not realise that they...

  • Agricultural Economics students perform exceptionally in JSE Agri-dealer exam

    Posted on May 31, 2019

    On the 30th of May 2019 fifteen students, enrolled for the agricultural risk management course, sat down to take this exam. Of the fifteen, 93% passed this week – the pass mark is 70%. Generally, the first attempt pass rate for the examination is less than 50%. The exceptional pass rate is...

  • CEEPA’s 2nd training on choice and controlled experiments a roaring success

    Posted on May 31, 2019

    The Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy in Africa (CEEPA) at the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development is gaining momentum in becoming the regional centre of choice. To reach this objective, CEEPA provides quality degree and non-degree training, research...

  • Agricultural Economists of the Semester

    Posted on May 31, 2019

    In order to encourage the final year Agricultural Economics students to keep up to date with current economic affairs, a competition was held in one of the department’s final year modules. The competition required the students to forecast eight macro-economic variables every month. After...

  • Ensuring student development at NAMPO Harvest Day

    Posted on May 22, 2019

    Every year the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension, and Rural Development takes its final year Agricultural Economics students to the NAMPO Harvest Day in Bothaville. This year 24 students, along with their lecturers, enjoyed this great opportunity on 15 May 2019. The purpose of this...

  • Agric Economics students attend AgriSA’s commodity and corporate conference

    Posted on May 07, 2019

    On the 24th and 25th of April 2019, AgriSA held their commodity and corporate conference at Future Africa, Pretoria. The Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development had the opportunity to send five of their top students to attend this event; Hilda Lefophane (PhD),...

  • Environmental economist, Prof Rashid Hassan, elected to the US National Academy of Sciences

    Posted on May 05, 2019

    Prof Rashid Mekki Hassan received one of the highest honours in science by being elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences (NAS). On 30th April, the NAS announced the election of 100 new members and 25 foreign associates in recognition of their distinguished and continuing...

  • Forty-four graduates from the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development

    Posted on April 18, 2019

    Graduations are joyous occasions and are meant to be celebrated. On the 17th of April 2019, the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development celebrated forty-four graduates.

  • First Soapbox at NAS with two renowned academics

    Posted on April 05, 2019

    Two seasoned academics from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NAS), Prof Jan Verschoor (Biochemistry) and Prof Wentzel Schoeman (Chemistry) recently gave their own unique flavour to the term ‘soapbox’.

  • Standard Bank invests in the future of two Agricultural Economics students

    Posted on March 05, 2019

    In February 2019 Shampie Doko and Lunga Kumalo, two undergraduate students in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development received the news that they were each awarded a Standard Bank CSI bursary administered by the StudyTrust. These bursaries are awarded to students...

  • Two postgrads representing the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development at the SDC

    Posted on March 04, 2019

    The world’s inaugural Sustainability and Development Conference (SDC) was held on November, 9 -11 2018 in Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, United States (US). Although the selection process for research presented at the SDC was extremely competitive (2200 abstracts submitted), we are...

  • Students represent the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development at the SDC

    Posted on March 04, 2019

    The world’s inaugural Sustainability and Development Conference (SDC) was held on November, 9 -11 2018 in Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, United States (US). Although the selection process for research presented at the SDC was extremely competitive (2200 abstracts submitted), we are...

  • Latest T&L@NAS Bulletin (2019) now available

    Posted on February 04, 2019

    The second issue of the 2019 NAS T&L Bulletin was officially launched on 1 February 2019. According to Dr Rory Biggs from the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, one of the editorial members of the Bulletin, "The T&L@NAS Bulletin aims to be a forum for sharing thoughts,...

  • UP agricultural researcher enriches knowledge during mentoring visit to Cornell University

    Posted on November 13, 2018

    Dr Colleta Gandidzanwa, a researcher in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development at the University of Pretoria, had the unique opportunity to visit Cornell University in Ithaca, New York in October, having been selected earlier this year as a 2018 fellow for the...

  • Prof Sheryl Hendriks appointed Head of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development Dept

    Posted on November 07, 2018

    The University of Pretoria congratulates Professor Sheryl Hendriks on her appointment as Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development, which became effective 1 November.

  • African countries’ policies must shift to achieve zero hunger

    Posted on October 25, 2018

    For the third year in a row hunger is rising across the world. And, as a recent report by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation shows, the situation is worsening in most regions in Africa. Almost 21% of the continent’s population of 1,216 billion is undernourished....

  • BFAP #15YearsOfResearchExcellence

    Posted on August 20, 2018

    The Bureau for Food and Agricultural (BFAP) policy was established in 2004, as a research program within the department of Agricultural economics at the University of Pretoria. BFAP celebrates it 15th year of existence, and the 15th edition of their annual baseline outlook was launched on 15...

  • Agricultural Economists are central in the process of working towards the SDGs

    Posted on August 14, 2018

    This was a clear message from the discussions at the triannual International Conference of Agricultural Economists in Vancouver, Canada. From the 28th of July to the 2nd of August the world’s agricultural economists got together at the 30th International Conference of Agricultural...

  • Highlights for UP at the World Congress for Environmental and Resource Economists

    Posted on August 07, 2018

    The World Congress for Environmental and Resource Economists (WCERE) is a flagship event organised every four years as the main scientific forum for scholars in the field. Dr Selma Karuaihe, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development at the...

  • UP academic, ‘a fighter against hunger'

    Posted on July 03, 2018

    Hunger is on the rise again worldwide, despite the rapid progress needed to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, which is to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Currently, one person in three is...

Copyright © University of Pretoria 2025. All rights reserved.

FAQ's Email Us Virtual Campus Share Cookie Preferences