Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
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What it is
The landscape of journals in agricultural economics comprises peer-reviewed academic serials publishing research at the intersection of microeconomic theory, econometrics, food systems, natural resources, and agricultural policy. An agricultural economics journal serves as the primary formal channel for disseminating empirical findings and policy evaluations to researchers, government agencies, and multilateral institutions.
In standard academic taxonomies, agricultural economics holds a distinct classification. Under the American Economic Association’s JEL codes, agricultural literature falls within category Q1 (Agriculture), including farm microeconomics (Q12) and agricultural policy (Q18). In indexers such as Scopus and SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), these periodicals are dual-indexed under “Economics, Econometrics and Finance” and “Agricultural and Biological Sciences”, with top-tier titles maintaining Quartile 1 (Q1) status.
Who runs it and what it covers
Learned societies govern the discipline’s premier serials in partnership with academic publishers such as Wiley, Oxford University Press, and Elsevier. Preprints and working papers also circulate through RePEc journal rankings infrastructure and the disciplinary repository AgEcon Search.
Flagship Profile: The Journal of Agricultural Economics and Society Outlets
The core literature is concentrated across six primary periodicals:
- American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE): Published by Wiley for the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) (Print ISSN 0002-9092; Online ISSN 1467-8276). With over 13,000 Crossref DOIs and 360,000 OpenAlex citations, AJAE is the field’s flagship outlet for advanced econometrics and agricultural microeconomics.
- Journal of Agricultural Economics (JAE): Published by Wiley on behalf of the Agricultural Economics Society (AES, UK) (Print ISSN 0021-857X; Online ISSN 1477-9552). The journal of agricultural economics is the leading European-based outlet for agricultural, environmental, and agri-food economic analyses.
- Agricultural Economics: Published by Wiley for the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) (Print ISSN 0169-5150; Online ISSN 1574-0862), focusing on international development, food security, and rural transformation.
- Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy (AEPP): Published by Wiley for AAEA (Print ISSN 2040-5790; Online ISSN 2040-5804), emphasizing policy syntheses and contemporary food system issues.
- Food Policy: Published by Elsevier (Print ISSN 0306-9192), specializing in economic, social, and nutritional policies across global food chains.
- European Review of Agricultural Economics (ERAE): Published by Oxford University Press for the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) (Print ISSN 0165-1587; Online ISSN 1464-3618), featuring quantitative policy modeling.
How to search or use it
Authors should follow a structured six-step workflow to match manuscripts with the appropriate journal:
- Map Your JEL Scope: Match your manuscript’s focus to journal profiles using relevant JEL codes (Q11-Q18), distinguishing microeconometric theory (AJAE, JAE) from policy synthesis (AEPP) or global nutrition (Food Policy).
- Verify Replication Mandates: Leading outlets require accepted empirical papers to deposit complete data and estimation code (Stata, R, Python) in Dataverse or designated public repositories.
- Review Formatting Rules: Verify page, word, and abstract limits in the publisher’s author guidelines, noting specific double-spacing and appendix requirements.
- Check Submission Fees: Verify whether the journal requires a submission fee or offers discounted processing for active society members (e.g., AAEA membership for AJAE and AEPP).
- Submit via Portal: Upload the anonymized text, figures, and cover letter into Editorial Manager or ScholarOne, specifying field keywords and conflicts of interest.
- Manage Review and Open Access: Manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review. Upon acceptance, authors choose standard subscription publication (zero fee) or hybrid open access funded by institutional agreements or article processing charges (APCs).
Strengths and limits
Authors evaluating journals in agricultural economics balance distinct disciplinary strengths against structural limitations.
Disciplinary Strengths
- Targeted Disciplinary Audience: Research reaches an international community of agricultural economists, policy analysts, and multilateral institutions.
- Empirical Rigor: Core journals enforce strict causal identification and mandatory replication packages.
- Direct Policy Relevance: Published articles directly inform government agencies, including the USDA Economic Research Service, the European Commission, and the FAO.
Disciplinary Limits
- Specialized Citation Baselines: Disciplinary citation totals remain naturally lower than general multidisciplinary science venues.
- Tenure Recognition Nuances: General economics departments may emphasize broad top-five economics journals over specialized field outlets.
- Hybrid Open Access Fees: Open access fees in commercial hybrid journals typically range from $3,000 to $4,500 USD when institutional agreements are absent.
Alternatives
Authors evaluate specialized agricultural economics outlets alongside general economic journals and multidisciplinary environmental publications. The table below compares the core field outlets.
| Journal Name | Society / Publisher | ISSN (Print / Online) | Review Model | Primary Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Journal of Agricultural Economics | AAEA / Wiley | 0002-9092 / 1467-8276 | Double-blind | Flagship econometric and microeconomic research in agriculture and resources. |
| Journal of Agricultural Economics | AES / Wiley | 0021-857X / 1477-9552 | Double-blind | European and international agricultural, environmental, and agri-food economics. |
| Agricultural Economics | IAAE / Wiley | 0169-5150 / 1574-0862 | Double-blind | International rural development, food security, and agricultural trade transition. |
| Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy | AAEA / Wiley | 2040-5790 / 2040-5804 | Double-blind | Applied policy analyses, contemporary food industry issues, and syntheses. |
| Food Policy | Elsevier | 0306-9192 / N/A | Single-blind | Economic and political aspects of food security, supply chains, and nutrition. |
| European Review of Agricultural Economics | EAAE / Oxford University Press | 0165-1587 / 1464-3618 | Double-blind | Quantitative modeling, Common Agricultural Policy analysis, and European markets. |
For papers with broad macroeconomic or econometric theory contributions, authors often consider general economics journals such as the American Economic Review. For research concentrated strictly on environmental valuation or forestry, specialized outlets such as the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (JEEM) serve as relevant alternatives.
FAQ
What is the difference between AJAE and AEPP?
Both are official publications of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) published by Wiley. The American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE) is the flagship venue for foundational microeconometric modeling and empirical research, whereas Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy (AEPP) publishes accessible, policy-oriented analyses and outlook articles.
How does the Journal of Agricultural Economics differ from Agricultural Economics?
The Journal of Agricultural Economics (JAE) is sponsored by the Agricultural Economics Society (AES, UK) and focuses on European and global agricultural, environmental, and food economics. Agricultural Economics is the organ of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) and concentrates primarily on developing economies, rural poverty, and smallholder systems.
Are data and replication code required for submission?
Yes. Leading agricultural economics journals, including AJAE and JAE, require authors of accepted empirical papers to submit clean replication data and estimation scripts before final publication to ensure computational reproducibility.
Where are preprints in agricultural economics indexed?
Disciplinary working papers and conference papers are archived on AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota/AAEA) and indexed in RePEc and IDEAS under JEL code Q1.
How are these journals categorized in citation indexes?
In Scopus and SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), agricultural economics serials are indexed under “Economics, Econometrics and Finance” and “Agricultural and Biological Sciences”, with top titles ranking in Quartile 1 (Q1).
Sources
Data and policies documented in this guide were verified on 2026-11-09 from the following primary sources:
- Crossref Metadata API: Official records for American Journal of Agricultural Economics (ISSN 0002-9092), Journal of Agricultural Economics (ISSN 0021-857X), Agricultural Economics (ISSN 0169-5150), Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy (ISSN 2040-5790), Food Policy (ISSN 0306-9192), and European Review of Agricultural Economics (ISSN 0165-1587). Read 2026-11-09.
- OpenAlex Scholarly Catalog: Metric distributions and publication profiles for core agricultural economics serials. Read 2026-11-09.
- Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA): Official Publications Portal (https://www.aaea.org/publications). Read 2026-11-09.
- Agricultural Economics Society (AES): Official society portal (https://www.aes.ac.uk/). Read 2026-11-09.
- IDEAS / RePEc: Economics serial archives under JEL Code Q1 (https://ideas.repec.org/). Read 2026-11-09.
