Agriculture and Economic Development

This book describes the interactions between agriculture and economic development in developing countries. The authors first consider the different structure and organization of agriculture in developed and developing countries and some features of traditional agriculture and peasant farmer behavior. Agriculture provides the economy with food and raw materials. A growing agricultural sector produces a growing economy a labor force for industry and a source of capital for investment elsewhere. The authors examine the interchangeabilty of products land and labor surpluses as well as different systems of land tenure; they also critically evaluate dual economy models and the role of surplus agricultural labor. The issue of efficiency in agricultural resource use is examined in the contexts of poverty risk uncertainty and farm size. Modern agricultural technology is analyzed in terms of its impact and barriers to its adoption. The authors examine the effects of incentives and prices on production. Institutional constraints to agricultural development--such as land ownership--are discussed. Sensible pricing policies and restructuring agricultural markets are recommended for developing economies. The authors also analyze the relationship between population size and food supply and agricultures place in international trade. Finally micro and macro planning for agriculture are considered including the merits of the Soviet tribute model and the Chinese model; input-output analysis for agricultural planning; and cost-benefit analysis for project evaluation. (authors modified)