Beyond Food Production

‘The book is an important contribution to understanding the nature of the linkages that could help agricultural growth reduce poverty in developing countries. . . The findings will be helpful for development planning in the future.’
– Frithjof Kuhnen, Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture

The importance of agricultural growth to poverty reduction is well known, but the specific channels through which the poor can take advantage of growth require further research. Beyond Food Production takes on this challenge, investigating four important channels: rural labor markets, farm incomes, food prices, and linkages to other economic sectors.

Using six developing country cases, this study elucidates the mechanisms linking agriculture growth to economic development and the wellbeing of the poor. The evidence shows that governments should view the sector’s contribution in wider terms, recognizing both its interaction with other economic sectors, and that labor markets and trade policies can play a critical role in mediating agriculture’s impact on poor households’ incomes. To achieve effective rural poverty strategies the book calls for a broad economy-wide perspective on the role of agriculture in the overall growth process.

This book will be of great interest to students of international agricultural development as well as economists and professionals serving in international development organizations.

Contents:

PART I: SYNTHESIS AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1. The Role of Agriculture in Poverty Reduction: A Synthesis of the Country Case Studies
Fabrizio Bresciani and Alberto Valdés

2. Agricultural Growth and Poverty Reduction
Ramón López

PART II: COUNTRY CASE STUDIES
3. Chile
Ramón López and Gustavo Anríquez

4. Mexico
Isidro Soloaga and Mario Torres

5. India
Manoj Panda

6. Indonesia
Sudarno Sumarto and Asep Suryahadi

7. Ghana
Ramatu M. Al-Hassan and John Baptist D. Jatoe

8. South Africa
Johann Kirsten, Julian May, Sheryl Hendriks, Mike Lyne, Charles L. Machethe and Cecilia Punt

Index