A Hundred Years of the Agricultural Economics Society

ABSTRACT The centenary of the UK‐based Agricultural Economics Society (AES) is an obvious opportunity to provide an updated summary institutional history of its development and achievements. Knowledge of equivalent associations in the US influenced the foundation of the AES in 1926. After a faltering start, the Society's main activities have been organising residential and one‐day conferences and publishing the Journal of Agricultural Economics . The last‐mentioned began in 1928 as a conference proceedings. Great growth in AES membership occurred in the 25 years after the Second World War, reflecting recognition of the importance of agricultural economics in that era. With the subsequent erosion of the subject's base in British universities, especially around the turn of the millennium, the twenty‐first‐century AES pursued an outward‐looking strategy. It started co‐producing the outreach periodical EuroChoices with the European Association of Agricultural Economists, and holding annual conferences outside Britain. Nowadays AES membership is much more international than in the past but less occupationally diverse, with around three‐quarters of current members drawn from academia. When deemed necessary the Society has occasionally made representations on behalf of the profession, in particular influencing specific aspects of how UK research assessment exercises operate. Numbers of members and annual conference delegates are currently buoyant, and the Executive Committee has launched a £100,000 centenary fund to support postgraduate research students. The AES, then, is well positioned for the opportunities and challenges ahead at the start of its second century.