2025 Summer Symposium: Agricultural Productivity and Competitiveness in an Era of Policy Uncertainty

Click here to register by June 1, 2025

The in-person registration fee is $150.00. A partial refund of $100.00 will be made if a cancellation notice is received before June 1, 2025. No refunds will be given after June 1, 2025. Notify Jennifer Shelton at jennifershelton@vt.edu if you need to cancel your registration.

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Draft Programme: Subject to change 

Download the draft program {PDF format}

Wednesday – 18 June 2025


Time/Room JRC – Expo Building Calle Inca Garcilaso 3, PICASSO room
15:00 – 18:00 Welcome and introductory speeches

  • Welcome from JRC
  • Welcome from IATRC
  • Policy Series
18:00 Cocktail reception

Thursday – 19 June 2025


Time/Room Maestranza Room Alcázar Room
9:15 – 10:00 Welcome Speaker
Chair: TBD Seth Meyer (invited), Office of the Chief Economist, USDA
10:00 – 11:15 Session 1 Session 2
11:15 – 11:45 Break – Catedral Room
11:45 – 13:00 Session 3 Session 4
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch provided
14:30 – 15:45 Session 5 Session 6

15:45 – 16:15        Networking Break – Catedral Room

Friday – 20 June 2025


Time/Room Maestranza Room Alcázar Room
9:00 – 9:45 Antoine Bouet (invited), Director, CEPII
Chair: TBD TBD
9:45 – 11:00 Session 7 Session 8
11:00 – 11:30 Break – Catedral Room
11:30 – 12:45 Session 9
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch  provided
14:30 – 15:30 Closing Speaker

Chair: TBD

15:30 Adjourn

DETAILED SCHEDULE

Wednesday – 18 June 2025
JRC – Expo Building
Calle Inca Garcilaso 3, PICASSO room 

15:00 – 18:00 Welcome and introductory speeches
18:00 Cocktail reception

Thursday – 19 June 2025
Hotel Eurostars Torre Sevilla

Maestranza and Alcázar rooms

10:00 – 11:15

Session 1 – Moderator: TBD – Weather, Domestic Support, and Trade

S. McCorriston: Openness, Extreme Weather and Food Inflation: The Experience of the UK
B. Kumar State Procurement at Minimum Support Prices (MSP) and Farmgate Price Distortions: Evidence from Rice and Wheat Markets
S. Rege Trade analysis of all major crops in ten African countries linking farm optimization and general equilibrium models using supply elasticity

Session 2 – Moderator: TBD – Food Security

C. Wieck Navigating geopolitical risks for food security: strategic lessons from country-specific experiences
M. Rogna Impact of Energy Price Shocks on Local Food Prices: A Transmission Analysis
E. Ayesu Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Maritime Transport Infrastructure on Intra-African Agricultural Trade

11:45 – 13 :00

Session 3 – Moderator: TBD – Deforestation and Environmental Sustainability Measures

A. Deuss,

O. Du Bois

Environmental sustainability initiatives related to highly traded agricultural commodities: Case study of the Australian beef and wheat sectors
O. Boysen How could the EU Deforestation regulation affect cocoa markets and related deforestation

Session 4 – Moderator: TBD – Productivity, Trade Costs and AI

A. Kavallari The role of agricultural productivity gaps versus trade costs in determining the intensity of intra-regional agrifood trade
G. Onel U.S. Agricultural Competitiveness in the Age of AI: The Role of Robotics in Shaping H-2A Guest Worker Needs
D. Debnath Impact of India’s agricultural productivity growth during the era of uncertain trade policy on international trade

14:30 – 15:45

Session 5 – Moderator: TBD – State Trading and International Trade Costs

B. Lohmar The Increasing Role of State Trading in China’s Agricultural Imports: Implications for Future Imports and Global Markets
J. Grant Estimating Ad-Valorem Equivalent Bilateral Trade Costs between the U.S. and Major Trading Partners

Session 6 – Moderator: TBD – Productivity, Sustainability, and Competitiveness

H. Patterson – Andrews The productivity of animal production in Trinidad and Tobago and implications for increased importation of animal products from the European Union
I. Sheldon and S. McCorriston CBAMs, (Dis) embodied Emissions and Market Structure: The Case of Fertilisers

Friday – 20 June 2025
Hotel Eurostars Torre Sevilla
Guadalquivir and Cartuja rooms

9:45 – 11:00

Session 7 – Moderator: TBD – Free Trade Agreements in the 21st Century

L. Cosnard Evolution of EU agri-food trade flows following the implementation of trade agreements
A. Countryman Effects of NAFTA on Rural U.S. Employment and Wages
C. Emlinger Assessing the impact of EU trade agreements in the 21st centure: an ex-post evaluation

Session 8 – Moderator: TBD – Non-Tariff Measures and Food Trade

S. Ashour Regional Crises and Trade Costs: Addressing Non-Tariff Barriers to Food Security in Jordan
S. Ikeme A New NTM Dataset: Estimating Ad-Valorem Equivalents Using Different Sources of Data

11:30 – 12:45

Session 9 – Moderator: TBD – Protein Supply and GHG Emissions

M. Himics Greenhouse gas reduction potential in the EU livestock sector
A. Haniotis Does the EU really have a “protein deficit”? Persistent myths and stubborn trade realities
T. Fellman EU protein supply and demand: Balancing agricultural productivity and competitiveness while advancing a sustainable food system transition