The global pandemic and urgent concerns about climate change and environmental disasters are putting new levels of pressure on traditional agriculture business models and supply chains. These and other types of change, from emerging technologies to political shifts, have created new challenges, but also new possibilities, for companies that can innovate, develop new strategies, and scale their operations. For more than 60 years, business leaders from around the world have gathered for the Agribusiness Seminar at Harvard Business School (HBS) to discuss the changing agribusiness landscape—and shape the future of this vital industry. As you gain valuable insight into agribusiness trends, challenges, and emerging opportunities, you will find new ways to build competitive advantage and drive business growth.

Summary: The global pandemic and urgent concerns about climate change and environmental disasters are putting new levels of pressure on traditional agriculture business models and supply chains. These and other types of change, from emerging technologies to political shifts, have created new challenges, but also new possibilities, for companies that can innovate, develop new strategies, and scale their operations. For more than 60 years, business leaders from around the world have gathered for the Agribusiness Seminar at Harvard Business School (HBS) to discuss the changing agribusiness landscape—and shape the future of this vital industry. As you gain valuable insight into agribusiness trends, challenges, and emerging opportunities, you will find new ways to build competitive advantage and drive business growth.

Key Benefits

Whatever role your company plays in the agribusiness value chain, this annual program will help you stay current with shifts in market demand, regional and global trends, and local operating realities. You will join an accomplished group of executives to examine new business models for navigating rapid changes in technologies, consumer demands, and geopolitics. With a more nuanced understanding of the key issues facing agribusiness today, you will be better able to create a strong future for your business—and for the planet and its people.

DetailsExpand All Collapse All

Appreciate the interconnectedness of the global food system and the implications for your business Appreciate the interconnectedness of the global food system and the implications for your business

Anticipate how trends in other geographies and industry segments may affect your business
Examine the effects of local and regional events on global supply chains
Manage risks, and even find opportunities, arising from climate change, environmental pressures, geopolitical tensions, and other global phenomena
Identify ways to build resilience and flexibility in order to thrive in a volatile industry

Explore ways that firms build differentiation and overcome cost pressure Explore ways that firms build differentiation and overcome cost pressure

Innovate in products and marketing to defend against commodification and drive profitability
Draw on customer insights to create more responsive business models and offerings
Leverage technology that generates better data for decision-making and improves operational efficiency
Adapt internal processes, cultures, and communication strategies to attract the next generation of innovators and leaders

Expand your personal and professional network Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, agribusiness sectors, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Key Benefits

Details

Appreciate the interconnectedness of the global food system and the implications for your business

Anticipate how trends in other geographies and industry segments may affect your business
Examine the effects of local and regional events on global supply chains
Manage risks, and even find opportunities, arising from climate change, environmental pressures, geopolitical tensions, and other global phenomena
Identify ways to build resilience and flexibility in order to thrive in a volatile industry

Explore ways that firms build differentiation and overcome cost pressure

Innovate in products and marketing to defend against commodification and drive profitability
Draw on customer insights to create more responsive business models and offerings
Leverage technology that generates better data for decision-making and improves operational efficiency
Adapt internal processes, cultures, and communication strategies to attract the next generation of innovators and leaders

Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, agribusiness sectors, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Who Should Attend

Current and rising leaders, ranging from senior executives in large multinational companies to heads of family businesses and agribusiness entrepreneurs, in all sectors of the industry
Producers of crops and livestock
Processors, traders, distributors, and marketers of agricultural commodities and food products
Marketers of consumer-branded fresh and packaged food products
Conventional and digitally enabled grocery retailers, restaurants, and foodservice distributors
Manufacturers and distributors of agricultural inputs, supplies, and farm equipment
Government agencies and nongovernment institutions focused on food, nutrition, farming, and rural development
Digital, biotechnology, and other technology players that shape the food, agriculture, and energy sectors
Agribusiness-specialized investment and banking firms

Particularly appropriate for: Chairpersons, chief executive officers, presidents, managing directors, owners, and other company leaders who drive strategy for their firms.

Program for Leadership Development participants earn 3 PLDA Points on completion of this program.

Dive Deeper into the Experience

See how exchange with faculty and peers yields new insights into critical business trends.

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Who Should Attend

Current and rising leaders, ranging from senior executives in large multinational companies to heads of family businesses and agribusiness entrepreneurs, in all sectors of the industry
Producers of crops and livestock
Processors, traders, distributors, and marketers of agricultural commodities and food products
Marketers of consumer-branded fresh and packaged food products
Conventional and digitally enabled grocery retailers, restaurants, and foodservice distributors
Manufacturers and distributors of agricultural inputs, supplies, and farm equipment
Government agencies and nongovernment institutions focused on food, nutrition, farming, and rural development
Digital, biotechnology, and other technology players that shape the food, agriculture, and energy sectors
Agribusiness-specialized investment and banking firms

Particularly appropriate for: Chairpersons, chief executive officers, presidents, managing directors, owners, and other company leaders who drive strategy for their firms.

Program for Leadership Development participants earn 3 PLDA Points on completion of this program.

Dive Deeper into the Experience

See how exchange with faculty and peers yields new insights into critical business trends.

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Learning and Living at HBS

When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Review Our Campus Health & Safety Protocols

Learning and Living at HBS

Review Our Campus Health & Safety Protocols

Admissions Criteria and Process

We admit candidates to specific sessions on a rolling, space-available basis, and encourage you to apply as early as possible. Although most programs have no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on your professional achievement and organizational responsibilities.

Answering Your Questions

Our Program Advising team can help you at any stage of the admissions process—starting with identifying the program that best addresses your learning and development goals. Contact a program advisor via email or call 1.800.427.5577 (outside the U.S., call +1.617.495.6555).

Application Submission

We recommend that you apply at least four weeks before the program start date. You may use our online form or download an application. HBS maintains all application information in strict confidentiality. We acknowledge receipt of applications via email. In the unlikely event that you do not receive an acknowledgment, please email us at exed_admissions@hbs.edu or call us at +1.617.495.6226.

Application Review

To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, our Admissions Committee makes selections that balance each participant's experience, scope of current responsibilities, and type of organization. HBS seeks candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds. We review applications monthly and will contact you via email with the Admissions Committee’s decision.

Fee, Payment, and Cancellations

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals. No payment is necessary until you have been accepted. Payment is required prior to the program start date. If you need to cancel or defer participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Cancellations or deferrals received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.

Admissions Criteria and Process

Answering Your Questions

Application Submission

Application Review

Fee, Payment, and Cancellations

What You Will Learn

Through faculty presentations, case studies, group discussions, and industry guest speakers, you will explore agribusiness trends and best practices covering a wide array of organizational, strategic, competitive, economic, and societal issues.

The curriculum is based on the world-renowned HBS case method—a highly interactive approach that engages participants in a dynamic exchange of ideas as they identify and test possible actions. Further enriching the sessions is the unique opportunity to meet and hear from top executives of the companies featured in the cases.

The upcoming seminar will feature new agribusiness-specific cases incorporating the latest trends, evolving business models, competitive strategies, and novel thinking about industry opportunities and challenges.

What You Will Learn

Key TopicsExpand All Collapse All

Creating more resilient, sustainable supply chains Creating more resilient, sustainable supply chains

How are traditional supply chains being disrupted by emerging business models, new technologies, volatile political climates, and demand for transparency and sustainable sourcing?
How should companies balance short-term and long-term considerations (and present and future stakeholders) in their environmental impact and response to climate change? How can businesses help organize and improve value chains in markets with significant structural weaknesses?
How can companies meet strategic objectives while mitigating risk, controlling cost, and capturing value?
Which companies will benefit from integrating vertically, and why?
What kinds of partnerships will be most successful?
How can companies balance tight control and predictability with flexibility and responsiveness?

Addressing the needs and demands of consumers around the world Addressing the needs and demands of consumers around the world

How can firms design effective strategies for different market challenges, such as food safety, food scarcity, malnutrition, and the demand for healthy, sustainable, and convenient choices?
How can they develop a coherent and effective strategy for serving consumers with increasingly diverse expectations, preferences, and definitions of value?
How can consumer demand for protein—whether meat, dairy, or plant-based—be met efficiently and sustainably?
How can governments, businesses, and NGOs work together to promote food security and encourage agriculture-driven economic development?

Harnessing innovation Harnessing innovation

How are new types of business models, investment vehicles, partnerships, and innovation strategies providing new ways to create value for customers and investors?
What are the ripple effects of these innovations?
How much, and how quickly, will digital technologies transform agriculture?
How can companies engage in gene-based food innovations while managing potential market confusion and resistance? How can existing barriers to the effective implementation of business practices and governmental policies be overcome?
How are leading companies increasing their capacity to innovate and bring new products to market?
How should companies innovate to overcome environmental challenges?
Which anti-hunger strategies are maximally effective, and how can innovations in distribution models and markets be leveraged to combat hunger?

Navigating a volatile landscape Navigating a volatile landscape

How can companies maintain momentum in the face of climate change, regulatory and policy uncertainty, labor shortages, and volatile commodity markets?
What are the key steps to anticipating change, managing risk, and responding effectively?
How will government policies impact companies doing business locally, across borders, or globally?
What other kinds of volatility will force companies to adapt their strategies and operations in the years to come?

Supporting farms of the future Supporting farms of the future

What is the future of farming in developing and mature markets?
How are unpredictable trade and immigration policies creating new challenges for farmers?
What should be the roles of government and private enterprise in owning and managing rights to water and other essential resources?
How can businesses and governments in food-producing regions manage the risks posed by natural disasters and resource scarcity?
Who will constitute the next generation of farmers, and how will farmers access the agricultural labor necessary to operate farms?
How will technological advances evolve the practice of farming and bring important efficiencies?

Key Topics

Creating more resilient, sustainable supply chains

How are traditional supply chains being disrupted by emerging business models, new technologies, volatile political climates, and demand for transparency and sustainable sourcing?
How should companies balance short-term and long-term considerations (and present and future stakeholders) in their environmental impact and response to climate change? How can businesses help organize and improve value chains in markets with significant structural weaknesses?
How can companies meet strategic objectives while mitigating risk, controlling cost, and capturing value?
Which companies will benefit from integrating vertically, and why?
What kinds of partnerships will be most successful?
How can companies balance tight control and predictability with flexibility and responsiveness?

Addressing the needs and demands of consumers around the world

How can firms design effective strategies for different market challenges, such as food safety, food scarcity, malnutrition, and the demand for healthy, sustainable, and convenient choices?
How can they develop a coherent and effective strategy for serving consumers with increasingly diverse expectations, preferences, and definitions of value?
How can consumer demand for protein—whether meat, dairy, or plant-based—be met efficiently and sustainably?
How can governments, businesses, and NGOs work together to promote food security and encourage agriculture-driven economic development?

Harnessing innovation

How are new types of business models, investment vehicles, partnerships, and innovation strategies providing new ways to create value for customers and investors?
What are the ripple effects of these innovations?
How much, and how quickly, will digital technologies transform agriculture?
How can companies engage in gene-based food innovations while managing potential market confusion and resistance? How can existing barriers to the effective implementation of business practices and governmental policies be overcome?
How are leading companies increasing their capacity to innovate and bring new products to market?
How should companies innovate to overcome environmental challenges?
Which anti-hunger strategies are maximally effective, and how can innovations in distribution models and markets be leveraged to combat hunger?

Navigating a volatile landscape

How can companies maintain momentum in the face of climate change, regulatory and policy uncertainty, labor shortages, and volatile commodity markets?
What are the key steps to anticipating change, managing risk, and responding effectively?
How will government policies impact companies doing business locally, across borders, or globally?
What other kinds of volatility will force companies to adapt their strategies and operations in the years to come?

Supporting farms of the future

What is the future of farming in developing and mature markets?
How are unpredictable trade and immigration policies creating new challenges for farmers?
What should be the roles of government and private enterprise in owning and managing rights to water and other essential resources?
How can businesses and governments in food-producing regions manage the risks posed by natural disasters and resource scarcity?
Who will constitute the next generation of farmers, and how will farmers access the agricultural labor necessary to operate farms?
How will technological advances evolve the practice of farming and bring important efficiencies?

The HBS Advantage

Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.

Faculty Chair

David E. Bell

Baker Foundation Professor, George M. Moffett Professor of Agriculture and Business, Emeritus

HBS Unit:

Marketing

Read Full Bio

Faculty

José B. Alvarez

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Marketing

Read Full Bio

Stuart C. Gilson

Steven R. Fenster Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

Janice H. Hammond

Jesse Philips Professor of Manufacturing

HBS Unit:

Technology and Operations Management

Read Full Bio

Forest L. Reinhardt

John D. Black Professor

HBS Unit:

Business, Government and the International Economy

Read Full Bio

The HBS Advantage: Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.

Faculty Chair

David E. Bell

Baker Foundation Professor, George M. Moffett Professor of Agriculture and Business, Emeritus

HBS Unit:

Marketing

Read Full Bio

Faculty

José B. Alvarez

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Marketing

Read Full Bio

Stuart C. Gilson

Steven R. Fenster Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Finance

Read Full Bio

Janice H. Hammond

Jesse Philips Professor of Manufacturing

HBS Unit:

Technology and Operations Management

Read Full Bio

Forest L. Reinhardt

John D. Black Professor

HBS Unit:

Business, Government and the International Economy

Read Full Bio

Your Peers Expand Your Learning

Global Perspective

Experience the world in your classroom.

Global Perspective

Experience the world in your classroom.

Africa

14%

Asia Pacific

20%

Europe

13%

Latin America

Middle East

46%

North America

3%Africa

14%Asia Pacific

20%Europe

13%Latin America

4%Middle East

46%North America

Experience

Years worked

Experience

Years worked

Less than 10 yearsLess than 10 years

10-14 years10-14 years

15-19 years15-19 years

20-24 years20-24 years

25-29 years25-29 years

30-34 years30-34 years

35-39 years35-39 years

40 years or more40 years or more

Less than 10 yearsLess than 10 years

10-14 years10-14 years

15-19 years15-19 years

20-24 years20-24 years

25-29 years25-29 years

30-34 years30-34 years

35-39 years35-39 years

40 years or more40 years or more

Participating Companies Have Included:

Alltech

Bayer

Elders Limited

H-E-B

Kellogg Company

Land O'Lakes

Mitsui

Nestle

Pepsi

Rabobank

Unigrains

Your Peers Expand Your Learning: Global Perspective

Experience the world in your classroom.

Global Perspective

Experience the world in your classroom.

3%

Africa

14%

Asia Pacific

20%

Europe

13%

Latin America

4%

Middle East

46%

North America

3%Africa

14%Asia Pacific

20%Europe

13%Latin America

4%Middle East

46%North America

Experience

Experience

Years worked

Years worked

Experience

Years worked

Less than 10 yearsLess than 10 years

10-14 years10-14 years

15-19 years15-19 years

20-24 years20-24 years

25-29 years25-29 years

30-34 years30-34 years

35-39 years35-39 years

40 years or more40 years or more

Less than 10 yearsLess than 10 years

10-14 years10-14 years

15-19 years15-19 years

20-24 years20-24 years

25-29 years25-29 years

30-34 years30-34 years

35-39 years35-39 years

40 years or more40 years or more

Participating Companies Have Included:

Alltech

Bayer

Elders Limited

H-E-B

Kellogg Company

Land O'Lakes

Mitsui

Nestle

Pepsi

Rabobank

Unigrains