ABSTRACT
A radical reform of the system of land tenure or at least the introduction of a progressive system of taxation would seem to be essential requirements in large parts of the world. The stage of economic development and the system of land-tenure have an obvious, but only too often neglected, impact on the problem. The prices of cash crops produced in the traditional peasant sector often fluctuate within seasons, and more so within production periods, to an equal and sometimes greater degree than between production periods or in the longer run. Finally, cash crops seem to yield several times the value of the alternative food crop, in which case it seems that it is socio-technical, rather than strictly 'economic' reasons that explain the restriction of the volume of crops. But, the implementation of such a solution is hindered by differences in social attitudes and economic development.
