An overview on the agriculture

Abstract

Agriculture is back in the news after 20 years of neglect by foreign donors, as rising food prices increase food insecurity and poverty. In the next years, increasing food productivity and output in developing nations, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and with smallholders, will be critical. This, however, necessitates finding viable solutions to a number of complex technical, institutional, and policy issues, such as land markets, seed and input research, agricultural extension, credit, rural infrastructure, market access, non-farm employment in rural areas, trade policy, and food price stabilization. This article examines what has been written on these issues in the economic literature. It examines the role of agriculture in development and the interactions between agriculture and other economic sectors, the determinants of the Green Revolution and the foundations of agricultural growth, issues of farmer income diversification, approaches to rural development, and issues of international trade policy and food security, all of which have been at the heart of the debate.