ABSTRACT
THIS CHAPTER 1 Summarizes how the various components required for agricultural
development can be combined to increase agricultural productivity and stimulate economic growth and development
2 Discusses how principles discussed in this book can be used to assess future prospects for agricultural development in developing countries
3 Suggests ways that individuals can contribute to reducing the foodpoverty-population problem
AN INTEGRATED APPROACH to AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT It is easy to be pessimistic about prospects for solving poverty and hunger problems in developing countries. Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have stagnated for decades, and disease problems such as HIV/ AIDS have made a bad situation there worse. Latin American countries
have suffered periodic setbacks on the path to development, and have only improved gradually over time. Several Asian countries have grown rapidly over the past 30 years, but population growth remains rapid in many already densely-populated Asian countries, while water becomes scarcer. Concerns for the global environment have focused attention on the growing problem of resource degradation, especially of soils, in all developing regions. Recent increases in energy prices have placed cost stress on agricultural producers, while commodity price volatility has made planning more difficult and harmed many consumers in developing countries.
