Population growth and agriculture in poor countries: A review of theoretical issues and empirical evidence

Abstract

The paper contributes a critical survey of the very extensive literature dealing with various aspects of the economic and institutional responses of agriculture to population growth in poor countries, encompassing a discussion of the main underlying theoretical issues. Such responses are evaluated in the framework of the general population-development debate. The main conclusion is that, although population growth induces adjustments in agriculture, in terms of technical progress, intensification, and definition of property rights, optimism may not be justified in the context of very fast population growth and/or already high densities, especially when the environmental resource base is taken into account.