Agriculture and Poverty in Developing Countries
- More than 1 billion people worldwide live on less than US$ 1 per day. About 70 percent of them live in rural areas and depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihoods. (World Bank, Agriculture and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals, 2005)
- Agriculture is often the economic driving force in developing countries. The sector accounts for over one-third of export earnings in almost 50 developing countries, and for over half in about 40. (World Bank, Agricultural Trade, 2006)
Sub-Saharan Africa:
- Approximately 325 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live on less than US$ 1 per day. (World Bank, Agriculture and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals, 2005)
- Nearly 65 percent of Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Smallholder farmers account for more than 90 percent of agricultural production.
South Asia:
- In South Asia, 430 million people live on less than US$ 1 per day. (World Bank, Agriculture and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals, 2005)
- Most of the poor in South Asia are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and survival. Approximately 60 percent of the labor force is involved in agriculture and the sector accounts for 23 percent of GDP.
Latin America:
- An estimated 55 million people in Latin America live on less than US $1 per day. (World Bank, Agriculture and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals, 2005)
- Rural activities (primary agriculture, forestry and fisheries) accounted for 12 percent of the average national GDP of Latin America in 2000, but when food processing industries are included, the region's average agricultural share rises to over 21 percent of GDP. (World Bank, Beyond the City: The Rural Contribution to Development, 2005)
Sources: International Food Policy Research Institute (unless otherwise noted)