ABSTRACT

Rapid structural transformation and urbanization are transforming agriculture and food production in rural areas across the world. This textbook provides a comprehensive review and assessment of the multi-faceted nature of  agriculture and rural development, particularly in the developing world, where the greatest challenges occur.

It is designed around five thematic parts: Agricultural Intensification and Technical Change; Political Economy of Agricultural Policies; Community and Rural Institutions; Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health; and Future Relevance of International Institutions. Each chapter presents a detailed but accessible review of the literature on the specific topic and discusses the frontiers in research and institutional changes needed as societies adapt to the transformation processes. All authors are eminent scholars with international reputations, who have been actively engaged in the contemporary debates around agricultural development and rural transformation.

chapter 1|8 pages

Introduction

part 1|94 pages

Agricultural intensification and technical change

chapter 3|30 pages

Revisiting the farm size–productivity relationship

New evidence from sub-Saharan African countries

chapter 4|26 pages

From land grabs to land development

The past and potential of private investment in frontier agriculture

chapter 5|21 pages

Staples production

Efficient “subsistence” smallholders are key to poverty reduction, development, and trade*

part 2|106 pages

Political economy of agricultural policies

part 3|62 pages

Community and rural institutions

chapter 11|16 pages

Beyond hype

Another look at index-based agricultural insurance

chapter 12|24 pages

Beyond water markets

Second-best water allocation policy?

part 5|47 pages

Future relevance of international institutions

chapter 16|28 pages

Structural transformation and the transition from concessional assistance to commercial flows

The past and possible future contributions of the World Bank 1

chapter 17|17 pages

The relevance of the CGIAR in a modernizing world

Or has it been reformed ad infinitum into dysfunctionality?