The Division of Agricultural Economics, established in 1960, is a key constituent of the School of Social Sciences at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI). With a mandate to excel in research and postgraduate education, the division has made significant contributions to agricultural policy through both basic and applied research. Recognized as an ICAR Centre of Advanced Faculty Training (CAFT) since 1995, the Division has strengthened agricultural economics and policy research capacity, benefiting 679 researchers through 35 training programs on contemporary topics. Its research focus has evolved to address emerging challenges in agriculture, transitioning from early studies on farm business analysis and resource allocation to contemporary areas such as the impact of agricultural technologies, policies and innovations, price forecasting and market outlooks, the potential of secondary agriculture and trade, agricultural production systems and natural resource use, and climate change effects, mitigation, and adaptations.

Current research thrust areas of the division include,

• Impact of agricultural technologies, policies and innovations: Impact assessment of agricultural technologies developed by NARS, impact analysis of policies and government flagship programs like e-NAM, crop insurance, agriculture credit policy, market regulations, collective action etc.

• Price forecasting and market outlooks: Price forecasting using advanced time series techniques and developing demand-supply projections for selected commodities.

• The potential of secondary agriculture and trade: Identifying the secondary agriculture drivers and assessing its potential. Analysis of the changing landscape of agricultural trade and its implications for the agriculture sector.

• Agricultural production systems and Natural resource use: Sustainability in the use of natural resources like water, energy and soil in different agricultural production systems and its implications, quantification of services offered by agro-eco systems and designing payment strategies for ecosystem services.

• Climate change effects, mitigation, and adaptations: Modelling the impact of climate change on agriculture, assessing the risks, mapping the vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies against climate change.