This past August in Durban, South Africa, Angela Thoko Didiza, South African minister of agriculture and land affairs, welcomed more than 700 agricultural economists from over 70 countries and called on them to engage policymakers in debate and challenged them to make a real impact on the lives of the poor through research. The economists had come to attend the triennial meeting of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).

In one of his last acts as IAAE president, IFPRI director general Joachim von Braun welcomed the establishment of the African Association of Agricultural Economists. “Africa needs a strong community of agricultural economists,” von Braun said. “The new association will help meet the unique needs and challenges of professionals working in Africa.”

Von Braun opened the conference, titled “Reshaping Agriculture’s Contributions to Society,” with an address on “Agricultural Economics and Distributional Effects,” in which he emphasized the large and growing national and international inequalities related to agricultural and rural policies.

“These disparities threaten peace, growth, and sustainable development,” he told conference participants. He challenged the attendees to gain new and sharper insights into the increasing and changing demands on the agricultural sector, which carries the burden of providing food and income to poor people in developing countries, while contending with environmental, genetic resource, food safety, and other concerns.

To address these diverse concerns, conference attendees grappled with four themes around which they presented papers: strategies for reducing poverty, efficiency in food and farming systems, food safety and security, and environmental stewardship.