Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock -- a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. It focused on maximising the yield of crops while maintaining a good soil ecosystem. Throughout the 20th century the discipline expanded and the current scope of the discipline is much broader. Agricultural economics today includes a variety of applied areas, having considerable overlap with conventional economics. This new book focuses on new research from around the world.