From farmers to high-level government officials, decision-makers around the world are confronting a range of challenging issues in agriculture, as rapid changes in technology, domestic policies, demand patterns, international trade rules, and environmental conditions affect the organization and performance of agriculture at all levels. In addition, recent advances in microeconomic theory and empirical methods have opened up new opportunities for fruitful research. As a result, department teaching and research efforts on agricultural production and technical change focus on a wide range of topics, including: