Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ASSIGNMENT:
THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
(DUE IN TWO WEEKS)
The Role of Agriculture in Economic Development, Bruce F.
Johnston and John W. Mellor, The American Economic Review, Vol.
51, No. 4 (Sep., 1961), pp. 566-593
WRITE A PROPER REFERENCE
POLICY FRAMEWORK
Communicates a common
understanding, gives direction,
consistency and accountability
Agriculture
Access to
Roads
Markets
Farm inputs
Irrigated and potable water supply
Improved varieties
Environmental sensitivity
Structural transformation
(necessary condition for selfsustaining growth?)
LDCs
Typically 40 to 60 per cent of the
national income is produced in
agriculture
Typically about 50 to 80 per cent of
the labor force is engaged in
agricultural production
Two sectors:
Traditional
Dynamic (nonagricultural, capitalist)
sector absorbs surplus agricultural
labor
Re-allocation of surplus agricultural
workers, whose contribution to output
may have been zero or negligible, to
industry
Agriculture must also grow if the
mechanism is not to grind to a
premature halt
farmers associations,
Extension services
Irrigation and drainage
Rural roads
Institutions to disseminate
knowledge, provide extension and
create markets for both inputs and
outputs
Land reforms