globalEDGE Blog - By Tag: agribusiness series

The El Nino-La Nina cycle is a naturally occurring phenomena- resulting from interactions between the ocean surface and atmosphere over the tropical Pacific- that been going on for hundreds of years, with episodes happening roughly every 2 to 7 years. The El Nino and La Nina patterns are opposing climate cycles in the Pacific Ocean. However, with rising surface temperatures in the sea, the effects of El Nino are beginning to compound.

With one third of the world’s poor population located in India, the emerging country of India has been striving to help its people achieve a better standard of living. Thanks to the programs that are provided by the government to alleviate poverty, India’s economy has grown steadily over the years. When the government noticed that the world’s most extreme poverty rates fall in rural Orissa and Bihar, it began to focus on farm subsidy programs, with hopes of lifting the economic level of these rural regions. However, its farm subsidies are challenging the World Trade Organization's (WTO) ability to keep an important international trade deal on table.

Here at Michigan State University, agricultural business has played a very important role in the history and development of the university. In 1855, Michigan’s governor signed a bill establishing the nation’s first agriculture college, the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. The nation’s pioneer land-grant university later became known as Michigan State University. Created by the International Business Center at Michigan State University, globalEDGE has noted the importance of agriculture in our university’s foundation and the significant role agriculture plays in the international business world. For these reasons, globalEDGE provides many resources pertaining to agribusiness which can help you recognize the major international business trends in the agriculture industry.

With increased awareness of environmental change in today’s business world, more and more companies are looking for innovative resources to reduce their “footprint” in any way possible. Some have started cutting down on packaging; others have redesigned their containers with recycled material. Certain companies are one step ahead of these methods and have turned to agricultural products to eliminate packaging wastes. 

With the world population recently reaching 7 billion, many wonder how the agriculture industry will keep up to feed this multitude of people. It seems that much of the success will come from developing countries. Many of these countries are a large part of the growing population and also have natural resources that produce a large amount of the world’s agricultural products. Still, an enormous amount of effort is needed to increase agricultural production in developing countries.

Community Supported Agriculture programs, commonly known as C.S.A.’s, were born in Japan and Switzerland in the 1960s and 1970s.  Since then, C.S.A.’s have expanded globally and are now becoming increasingly popular worldwide.  These programs enable consumers to buy fruits, vegetables, meats, and other goods in advance that are grown by local farmers.  Most commonly, consumers receive baskets weekly containing the goods specified in their subscriptions.  The growth of these programs is due largely in part to the numerous advantages that both consumers and farmers are experiencing.

During routine trips to the supermarket, shoppers frequently face choices between organic and conventional food products.  While these items may look nearly identical at first glance, they likely arrived on store shelves via radically different supply chains.  Global regions have had varying reactions to the organic food movement.  The future of agribusiness may well be determined by consumer preferences between organic and conventional foods.

It is hard to imagine life without food – in fact, it is impossible. And although many people don't recognize it, there is big business behind getting food from the farm to your kitchen table. The agribusiness sector is a broad industry covering the entire business of food production ranging from planting to the distribution and selling of the end product. New technologies and global trends are changing the way these businesses operate. The Agribusiness Blog Series will cover many of these topics including organic farming, new sales methods, and the new uses of agriculture products.