1.1: Preface
- Page ID
- 308465
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Economics of Agriculture is an Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook developed to support students at Coalinga College and other community colleges studying Agricultural Business and related fields. This text is designed as the primary textbook for introductory agricultural economics courses and serves as a foundational resource for all Agricultural Business majors at the community college level.
Agriculture plays a critical role in California’s economy and our local San Joaquin Valley communities. This textbook aims to connect economic theory with real-world agricultural practices, policy discussions, and industry applications relevant to both local and global food systems. Students will explore key concepts in supply and demand, production, markets, resource use, and agricultural policy—grounded in examples from crop and livestock production, agribusiness operations, food systems, and agricultural trade.
This course assumes no prior coursework beyond college algebra and an introductory understanding of basic economic principles. It is intended to bridge the gap between high school or entry-level college economics and upper-division agricultural economics courses at four-year universities. Students who complete this course will build a strong foundation in economic reasoning and will be prepared for more advanced coursework in agricultural business, agricultural marketing, and applied economics.
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Understand core economic concepts as they apply to food and agricultural systems
- Analyze decisions made by producers, agribusinesses, and policymakers
- Apply economic tools to real-world agricultural challenges and industry settings
- Demonstrate problem-solving and quantitative reasoning skills
- Connect agricultural economics to future academic goals and career pathways
To support student success, each chapter begins with clear learning objectives and integrates practice problems, data-driven examples, and applied activities. Students are encouraged to review the objectives before reading and revisit them as they complete problem sets and case studies. The textbook also includes interactive opportunities, real agricultural scenarios, and self-assessment tools to help students monitor their learning.
This OER textbook draws inspiration from other open agricultural economics learning materials and is part of a growing effort to make higher education affordable, accessible, and relevant to diverse community college learners—including first-generation college students, working adults, and students exploring careers in agriculture and food systems. By openly licensing this work, we aim to support equitable access to education and invite instructors to adapt, expand, and build upon this resource to meet the needs of their students and local agricultural communities.
Economics of Agriculture is licensed under the Creative Commons CC BY-SA license, allowing educators and students to freely use, share, and remix the material as long as proper credit is given and adaptations are shared under the same license.
Thank you for choosing this OER text. We look forward to learning together, exploring how economics shapes agriculture, and preparing the next generation of agricultural leaders, business professionals, and community innovators.