Summary
Climate change, demands for water and other natural resources, armed conflict, the pandemic, trade tensions—these and many other forces are driving volatility and change across global and local food systems. In spite of these challenges, the current environment presents new possibilities for firms that can innovate, develop new strategies, deliver value, and build resilience.
For more than 60 years, business leaders from around the world have gathered for the Agribusiness Seminar at Harvard Business School (HBS) to deepen their understanding of the food and agriculture landscape, exchange perspectives, strengthen their networks, and cultivate ideas to shape this vital industry. In our upcoming seminar, you will explore current and future industry dynamics through the lens of a dozen new agribusiness case studies, developing insights that can help you build competitive advantage and drive growth in your own firm and career.
-
Summary
-
Climate change, demands for water and other natural resources, armed conflict, the pandemic, trade tensions—these and many other forces are driving volatility and change across global and local food systems. In spite of these challenges, the current environment presents new possibilities for firms that can innovate, develop new strategies, deliver value, and build resilience.
For more than 60 years, business leaders from around the world have gathered for the Agribusiness Seminar at Harvard Business School (HBS) to deepen their understanding of the food and agriculture landscape, exchange perspectives, strengthen their networks, and cultivate ideas to shape this vital industry. In our upcoming seminar, you will explore current and future industry dynamics through the lens of a dozen new agribusiness case studies, developing insights that can help you build competitive advantage and drive growth in your own firm and career.
DetailsCollapse All
Understand the interconnectedness of the global food system and the implications for
your businessUnderstand the interconnectedness of the global food system and the implications for
your business
- Anticipate the impact of trends and risks in other geographies and industry segments
- Examine the effects of local and regional events on global supply chains, trade, geopolitics, and international business operations
- Manage risks and find opportunities arising from climate change, environmental pressures, and logistical challenges
- Identify ways to build the resilience and flexibility needed to thrive in an evolving industry
Explore ways that firms build differentiation and overcome cost pressureExplore ways that firms build differentiation and overcome cost pressure
- Defend against commodification and drive profitability through product and marketing innovation
- Design robust, reliable supply chains that enhance competitiveness and customer service
- Draw on customer input to create more responsive business models and offerings
- Improve decision-making and operational efficiency through better data
- Adapt internal processes, cultures, and communication strategies to attract the next generation of innovators and leaders
Expand your personal and professional networkExpand your personal and professional network
- Extend your network by connecting 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
- 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, food security, agricultural trade policy, etc.
- 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.
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.
-
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.
Admissions Criteria and Process
What You Will Learn
Through faculty-led classroom discussions, case studies, small-group work, and insights from guest speakers, you will explore agribusiness trends and best practices covering an 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. The seminar will feature new cases incorporating the latest trends, evolving business models, competitive strategies, and novel thinking about industry opportunities and challenges. Each case focuses on a particular food or agriculture-related firm and the key decisions its leaders face. We enhance the learning with the unique opportunity to meet and hear from top executives featured in the cases.
-
What You Will Learn
-
Through faculty-led classroom discussions, case studies, small-group work, and insights from guest speakers, you will explore agribusiness trends and best practices covering an 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. The seminar will feature new cases incorporating the latest trends, evolving business models, competitive strategies, and novel thinking about industry opportunities and challenges. Each case focuses on a particular food or agriculture-related firm and the key decisions its leaders face. We enhance the learning with the unique opportunity to meet and hear from top executives featured in the cases.
Key TopicsCollapse All
Creating more resilient, sustainable supply chainsCreating more resilient, sustainable supply chains
- How can business leaders anticipate and respond to trade disruptions, weather events, and other forces affecting their supply chains? How can they make their supply chains more reliable?
- How can firms strengthen compliance and transparency in supply chains over which they lack full control?
- How should companies balance short-term and long-term considerations as they seek to operate more sustainably?
- How can companies address the different priorities of various stakeholders?
- Which companies will benefit from integrating vertically, and why?
- What kinds of partnerships will be most successful in the future?
Addressing the needs and demands of consumers around the worldAddressing the needs and demands of consumers around the world
- How can firms modernize while preserving their essential strengths, brand value, and longstanding customer and supplier relationships?
- How can businesses develop an effective strategy for serving consumers with diverse expectations, preferences, and definitions of value?
- How can firms meet the needs of budget-conscious customers at a time of high inflation?
- How can consumer demand for protein—whether meat, dairy, or plant-based—be met efficiently and sustainably?
- How should food and agriculture business leaders think about—and deliver on—their responsibility to consumers and other stakeholders when a crisis arises?
Harnessing innovationHarnessing innovation
- How can firms nurture innovation in science, technology, business models, and partnerships to address challenges such as food safety, perishability, nutrition, and labor shortages?
- How can companies innovate to reposition and reinvigorate old brands and products?
- What strategies should firms use to stimulate adoption of novel products, such as lab-grown meat?
- How can firms recruit and retain top innovation talent?
- How are leading companies increasing their capacity to bring new products to market?
Navigating a volatile landscapeNavigating a volatile landscape
- How can companies maintain momentum in the face of climate change, regulatory and policy uncertainty, global logistical bottlenecks, inflation, and unstable commodity markets?
- What other kinds of volatility may force companies to adapt their strategies and operations in the years to come?
- How has Russia's invasion of Ukraine affected the global food system, and how are firms responding?
- What are the key steps to anticipating change, managing risk, and responding effectively?
Supporting farms of the futureSupporting 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?
- How will the agribusiness industry manage the challenges arising from increasing water 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.
John D. Black Professor of Business Administration
Visiting Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
Baker Foundation Professor, George M. Moffett Professor of Agriculture and Business, Emeritus
Thomas Henry Carroll/Ford Foundation Professor of Business Administration
Marvin Bower Associate Professor
James Dinan and Elizabeth Miller Professor of Business Administration
-
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
John D. Black Professor of Business Administration
HBS Unit:Business, Government and the International EconomyFacultyVisiting Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
HBS Unit:MarketingBaker Foundation Professor, George M. Moffett Professor of Agriculture and Business, Emeritus
HBS Unit:MarketingThomas Henry Carroll/Ford Foundation Professor of Business Administration
HBS Unit:Business, Government and the International EconomyMarvin Bower Associate Professor
HBS Unit:Business, Government and the International EconomyJames Dinan and Elizabeth Miller Professor of Business Administration
HBS Unit:Organizational Behavior