Economic Development, Agricultural Change, and Economic Demography: Discussion

Abstract

The success or failure of agricultural policies often depends on interactions between the agricultural sector and population dynamics. Yet, often researchers and policy makers pay little attention to demographic issues in agriculture. This session provides an economic perspective on the interaction between the agricultural sector, the family, and demographic change. In this discussion I make some general comments about how demographic issues contribute to a better understanding of economic development and change in the agricultural sector. Then I consider how the three papers address the demographic aspects of economic development and agricultural change. Finally, I will make some summary comments on implications for policies and research. Family structure, fertility, allocation of time between household and market work, human capital accumulation, migration, intergenerational transfers, and intrahousehold allocation are all demographic issues that influence agricultural and economic development. I focus on three: human capital formation and investment; home, market, and farm work; and intergenerational transfers. Gender is a significant dimension of each of these areas.