Research Report No. 153Research Report 150, 2006.
2020 Vision Discussion Paper 41, 2005.
2020 Vision Discussion Paper 38, 2004.
2020 Vision Discussion Paper 37, 2004.
Changes in the global environment have led some to question whether the conventional wisdom on the role of agriculture in economic development is still relevant to Africa today. This report critically examines the literature on this issue, taking both the conventional and skeptical views into account. It complements this review with case studies of five African countries. The findings indicate that agricultural growth will play an essential role in promoting overall economic growth and reducing poverty in most of Africa's agrarian-based economies. This holds true even for countries that have the potential for industrial growth driven by natural resources. The results also show that only smallholder food-staple and livestock production can generate broadbased agricultural growth. By demonstrating that Africa's agricultural and food subsector cannot be bypassed, this report contributes to an important ongoing debate in development studies.
Xinshen Diao is a senior research fellow in IFPRI's Development Strategy and Governance Division.
Peter Hazell is a visiting professor at Imperial College, London. At the time of this study, he was director of IFPRI's Development Strategy and Governance Division.
Danielle Resnick is a Ph.D. student at Cornell University. At the time of this study, she was a research analyst in IFPRI's Development Strategy and Governance Division.
James Thurlow is a postdoctoral fellow in IFPRI's Development Strategy and Governance Division.
The abstract and report are available for download in PDF format as an entire document or by chapter.
- Full Report
- Abstract
- Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Boxes, Foreword, Acknowledgments, and Summary
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: Agriculture and Development: Conventional Wisdom and Current Debate on the Role of Agriculture in Early Development Thinking
- Chapter 3: The Role of Agriculture in Africa: Selected Country Case Studies
- Chapter 4: Conclusions
- Appendix: Mathematical Specifications of the Models
- References
- Report covers
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