Research

Our research community in Agricultural, Environmental and Resource Economics includes over thirty members from professors to master's level students working together on different topics that all highlight the policy-relevance of economic research at the University of Helsinki.
Students and research

The teaching and courses in the Master's Programme in Agricultural, Environmental and Resource Economics (AGERE) are based on the latest research. The staff members are active researchers in their fields and teach courses close to their research topics. This means that we are able to discuss the state-of-the-art research results with you and can recruit you to our research community, projects and networks even before your graduation.

In the Environmental and Resource Economics study track, students have to possibility to deepen their understanding of environmental and resource economics by following our research track. The aim of this subtrack is to strengthen your substance and methodological skills to allow the possibility to advance faster during the post-graduate studies and to become a part of the at the University of Helsinki.

Recent publications

The latest research in Agricultural Economics and Environmental and Resource Economics offers valuable insights into sustainable practices, resource management, and economic policies. These recent publications highlight innovative approaches and critical analyses that address pressing global challenges, providing a comprehensive understanding of the intersection between the environment and economic systems.

Research-based education

Teaching at the University of Helsinki is based on research and provided by researchers well-versed in their discipline, teaching the topics of their research.

In addition to relevant research-based knowledge, university education utilises diverse teaching and assessment methods promoting students’ learning, the development of scholarly thinking and the establishment of expertise.

From the beginning of their studies, students are part of the academic community. They get to familiarise themselves with the latest research. In many fields, students have the opportunity to complete their thesis in collaboration with research groups.

Research in Ag­ri­cul­tural Eco­nom­ics

If you want to know how to manage a farm successfully or how to design effective agricultural and food policies, agricultural economics is the right choice for you. 

We teach and study business management and economics applied to agriculture and primary food production. Our work is closely based on biological and technical possibilities. Our research aims at solving concrete problems. The topics of production economics and farm management as well as rural entrepreneurship provide knowledge and skills for management and leadership in agricultural farms and firms. The topics of agricultural policy show how effect of agricultural, rural and food policies can be analyzed. Functioning agricultural and food markets as well as international trade have become increasingly important topics. In addition, we study how to improve agricultural production and food security in developing countries, especially in Africa.

Examples of theses topics
  • Horizontal price transmission in dairy markets: Finland and major trading partners within the EU
  • Virtual reality value elicitation in land use sector - A feasible tool towards sustainable agriculture and forest land use in Finland?
  • Challenges in Implementing Climate Smart Agricultural practices in Zambia to enhance food security
  • Economic and environmental feasibility of catch crops in agriculture production
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis and Farmer’s Incentives Using Biochar on the Boreal Agricultural Soils.
  • Credit constraints in adopting rhizobial inoculation technology among smallholder soybean farmers in northern Ghana.
  • The potential of the insect frass as a biofertilizer in Finland.
  • Drivers and Barriers of Gypsum Treatment of Fields

All the theses can be found in the University of Helsinki Open Repository Helda.

Research in En­vir­on­mental and Re­source Eco­nom­ics

Environmental and Resource Economics studies the interaction of society and environment, environmental issues and problems, and nature conservation by applying economic theory and methods. The scope of environmental and resource economics includes both positive and normative analysis. The positive analysis studies how economic actions affect natural resources and environment, while the normative analysis studies the preferred environmental behavior of the society, and how it compares to the behavior in the markets. The goal is to find ways to fix market failures so that natural resources are utilized sustainably, while preventing the degradation of nature. The theory and empirical applications of environmental and resource economics are based on the general economic theory, especially microeconomic theory, public economic theory and capital theory, in addition to methods of empirical research. The methods we use include among others optimization, valuation, econometrics and game theory. Our research in Environmental and Resource Economics covers a wide variety of topics such as fishery, forestry, agriculture, biodiversity and climate change.

More about the programme