The purpose of this project is to provide support for noted scholars in the basic social science disciplines to participate in a series of conferences and workshops aimed at developing a research agenda for addressing problems related to agriculture and rural life. Major support for the overall project, known as the Social Science Agricultural Agenda Project, is from a variety of other funding sources. The motivation for this larger effort is a variety of complex issues and pressing needs confronting U.S. agriculture and rural America. In many cases, farming is not a viable economic enterprise, and the tax payers and a variety of competing interests have extensive financial stakes in an elaborate and expensive price support and production control system that has evolved over the years. At the same time, there is a growing concern about the quality of food and the impact of food production on the environment. Other issues of importance include: (1) the impact of international trade and monetary policy on the agricultural sector, (2) the effect of third world development on American agriculture, and (3) domestic and international nutrition and world hunger.
