From February 19 to March 5, ISET hosted Professor Stephan von Cramon-Taubadel, a prominent agricultural economist who currently holds the Agricultural Policy Chair at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development at the University of Göttingen, Germany. Professor Cramon-Taubadel also serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).

The regular visit of Professor Cramon-Taubadel is of great value to both ISET students and researchers of the Agricultural Policy Research Center (APRC) at the ISET Policy Institute. The Agriculture Economics course taught by the professor to second-year students of ISET, and is one of the requirements of the Concentration in Agricultural Economics module within ISET’s Master’s Program in Economics. The course overviews worldwide farming policies and their influence on agricultural prices and income, and introduces ISET students to related research as well as relevant examples from developed and developing countries. This helps students to build professional opinions on the current challenges facing international food systems, and graduates of the course are well-prepared to contribute to the quality and rigor of policy analysis on agricultural and rural development in Georgia and the South Caucasus.

APRC researchers also had an opportunity to consult with Prof. Cramon-Taubadel on their research and professional development plans. The institute is very thankful to the professor for his contributions to the ISET community.