ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the theoretical foundations and factual basis of the some seemingly rival strategies. As much of this debate has taken place against the background of a low level of agricultural growth, it reviews the growth record of agriculture. The growth performance of the agricultural sector since the mid-sixties is marked by several features. The case for institutional change in agriculture is based on the grounds of both equity and efficiency. The prevailing distribution of land ownership, tenurial arrangements and the pattern of employment in agriculture are all relevant to the case for land reform on grounds of equity. A powerful argument in favour of land redistribution is the empirically observed phenomenon of the inverse relationship between farm size and productivity. Land reform policies, centring on land rationing and the regulation of rents, are also unfortunately exceedingly difficult to implement.
