05/12/2003

AU Ag Economist Selected Rural Research Fellow

AUBURN, Ala. — C. Robert Taylor, the Alfa eminent scholar on agricultural and public policy at Auburn University, has been chosen as one of 35 top agricultural economists from around the world to serve as a charter research fellow of a new global research organization that is focusing on the economic plight of rural communities.

The Rural Development Research Consortium (RDRC), based at the University of California, Berkeley, is a network of researchers, policy makers and public and private institutions dedicated to improving the economy and quality of life in rural areas. Taylor was selected for the fellowship because of his outstanding contributions as an economist to the fields of agriculture, resources and rural development.

Taylor’s scholarly work in agricultural economics and policy spans more than three decades. His latest research emphasis is the globalization and monopolization of U.S. agriculture and how those factors are affecting small and mid-size farmers and, subsequently, the economies and the survivability of rural communities.

Because rural development research is the major mission of the RDRC, Taylor and the other distinguished research fellows will play an essential role in the organization, as they share information and collaborate on research programs on priority issues. The honorary research fellowships are for three years and are renewable.

“The RDRC organizers have put together an impressive list of board members and research fellows who bring tremendous expertise to this effort,” Taylor said. “I am extremely encouraged to see this group come together to focus on critical rural issues.”

Taylor received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University in 1968, his master’s in economics from Kansas State University in 1970 and his doctorate in ag economics from the University of Missouri in 1972. He has been on the faculty at Auburn University since being named the Alfa eminent scholar in 1988.

The RDRC’s first-year research priority is globalization’s impact on agriculture.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
Contact C. Robert Taylor, 334-844-1957 or taylocr@auburn.edu

05/12/03

For immediate release