Book contents
Part One - The many faces of agricultural transformation in an industrializing world and what it means
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Summary
Introduction to Part One
Summary. The two polar views regarding the centrality of agriculture’s contribution to building the industrial wealth of a nation are refuted in a variety of country contexts. They have to be substantially qualified as follows:
First, there is strong but not universal support for the pro-agriculture view. The centrality of agriculture’s contribution depends largely on what other opportunities the country could exploit to earn or attract foreign exchange and other funds to invest – for example, trade in mineral exports, foreign direct investment (FDI), aid, and remittances. In most cases where agriculture made substantial contributions to the economy, it did so following major investments by private and public sectors and major institutional changes. Moreover, decades of agricultural development does not necessarily by itself reduce rural poverty, for much depends on the prevailing income and land distribution, as well as the functioning of rural labor markets, among other things.
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- Success in Agricultural TransformationWhat It Means and What Makes It Happen, pp. 13 - 14Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011