The Agricultural Policy Analysis Program Area: A Descriptive Overview

Excerpts from the Introduction: The Agricultural Policy Analysis (APA) Program Area provides analytical support for agencies of the executive and legislative branches of Government and conducts a broad program of definitive research on policies affecting the domestic food and fiber system. The staff support function involves providing economic analyses of current issues to aid in policy and program decisions. The longer-term research program emphasizes development and analysis of new policy concepts, and formulation and evaluation of effective program alternatives. The subject area focus is commercial agricultural and food policy. APA provides leadership in identifying and describing major policy issues. It performs a coordinating and integrating role in assimilating basic data and economic intelligence required for policy analyses. Research conducted by APA is closely coordinated with work in the commodity program and some functional areas. Research results and professional expertise are drawn from across the Economic Research Service (ERS) and sources outside the Agency. APA further serves focal point in evaluating the economic impact of alternative policies and program effects tracing from the international or domestic economy through the food and fiber system to the individual commodity sectors. Major economic variables treated include commodity production, utilization, and prices, producer incomes, resource use, rates of return, food prices, structural change, Treasury costs, distributional impacts, etc.