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The agro-food sector represents an exceptional area of analysis for the two major branches of the research programme in New Institutional Economics, i.e.: the microanalytics, focusing on the study of 'governance structures', and the analysis of institutions, emphasizing the impact of the rules of the games on the behaviour and performance of economic entities. On the first aspect, the agro-food sector offers a great variety of modes of organization and of contractual arrangements accompanying these models. On the second aspect, all countries have experienced interactions between the institutional environment and the organization of the agricultural sector, particularly because of the role of state interventions. The paper summarizes some main developments in New Institutional Economics, with an emphasis on their relevance for the analysis of these problems.