AEDE is a premier academic department that aims to generate knowledge and disseminate impartial information through the application of economic and business principles to the challenges of agriculture, the food system, the environment, and economic development. Housed in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at The Ohio State University, AEDE currently has twenty two world-class faculty members and administers highly respected Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D. programs.
AEDE has a strong and growing external reputation for excellence in research and graduate education and a strong internal reputation for excellence in graduate education and integrated research-based extension/outreach. Of the 66 Ohio State programs that appeared in the recent National Research Council "Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States" AEDE tied for first as the top program in the U.S. in Agricultural and Resource Economics using the regression-based ranking calculation. AEDE is the only Ohio State program to earn a top ranking in either of the two reported ranking methods.
College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), The Ohio State University 
In its academic training, research and outreach work CFAES focuses on the signature areas of food security, production, and human health; environmental quality and sustainability; and advanced bioenergy and biobased products. CFAES is led by Dr. Bruce A. McPheron, Vice President for Ohio State's Agricultural Administration and dean of the College.
The work of CFAES focuses on three important mission areas: academic programs serves the 2,000-plus student body, prospective students, and the College's alumni, with information, opportunities and connections to employers; the College's research mission is facillitated by The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) which has more than 400 research projects underway at anytime, focused on critical state, national and global issues; Ohio State University Extension, with offices in every county, helps improve lives, businesses and communities through its program areas of 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Community Development, and Family and Consumer Sciences. The three missions of CFAES work hand-in-hand, discovering new knowledge and offering science-based solutions in both the classroom and the community through the College's resident and Extension education programs.
The North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) 
NARSC is an international scholarly organization that focuses on regional analysis, ranging from urban and spatial economic theories to applied problems and public policies in regional development, sustainability, environmental management, transportation, land use and many other contemporary issues of our societies. NARSC is an interdisciplinary association representing members in fields as diverse as economics, agricultural economics, public policy, urban planning, civil engineering, geography, finance, and demography.
NARSC represents Regional Science in North America, and the Council's allied regional organizations provide opportunities for local participation. These organizations represent Canada, the northeast, southern, mid-continent and western regions of the United States. NARSC is affiliated with the Regional Science Association International (RSAI). NARSC's next annual conference will be held in Atlanta, GA from November 13-16, 2013.
Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) 
OARDC is the agricultural research and development wing of The Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). OARDC brings knowledge to life with top scientists and facilities and has more than 400 research projects underway at anytime, focused on critical state, national and global issues. The work of OARDC focuses on three signature areas: advanced bioenergy and biobased products; environmental quality and sustainability; and food security, production and human health.
OARDC researchers are world leaders in their disciplines who make a difference in their own communities and around the world. OARDC partners with businesses to help make them stronger.
Regional Studies Association (RSA) 
RSA works with its international membership to facilitate the highest standards of theoretical development, empirical analysis and policy debate of issues at the sub-national scale, incorporating both the urban and rural and different conceptions of space such as city-regions and interstitial spaces. RSA is, for example, interested in issues of economic development and growth, conceptions of territory and its governance and in thorny problems of equity and injustice.
The Association’s journals, magazines and books, along with their global-to-local series of conferences and events, position RSA as a key forum in shaping and disseminating advances in regional studies and science. Members come from economics, geography, political science, planning and sociology backgrounds. Most work in academia but many are working in policy and practice, and membership is truly global.
C. William Swank Program in Rural-Urban Policy, The Ohio State University
The Swank Program, which is overseen by AEDE’s Professor Mark Partridge, identifies and organizes research led by The Ohio State University focused on rural-urban policy and rural and regional development.
Swank Program activities have included organizing national conferences and symposia, undertaking and sponsoring analysis of policy options, striving to improve communication among interests at the rural-urban interface, bringing timely information to policymakers and citizens, and establishing a national center of excellence on rural-urban policy research and education at The Ohio State University. These activities have also facilitated the education of many undergraduate and graduate students at Ohio State.
The Swank Chair was named in honor of Dr. William Swank, retired Executive Vice President of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, who, for over 50 years, provided outstanding leadership and vision in addressing both rural and urban issues, recognizing the need for objective analysis to promote the understanding and resolution of critical policy issues.