The Role and Effects of Technological Change in the Agricultural Sector of Less Developed Countries

The dominance of agriculture in the economy of many less developed countries and the scarcity of land and capital make technological improvement the most promising source of output growth—in many countries perhaps a necessary condition for overall development itself. The high level of public sector involvement in research and the wide range of possible types of improvements which can be pursued make government decisions in this area of great importance. Some countries have followed “unimodal” agricultural strategies, encouraging the bulk of farmers to become more productive; most, however, have concentrated research and other public expenditures in areas which mainly benefit the larger and less labour intensive farms. Both strategies have, in some countries at least, contributed to successful output growth. Fears have often been expressed that pro-large farm strategies would lead to land concentration, less employment in agriculture, and worsened income distribution. Very limited evidence tends to confirm the last effect, though in countries with reasonable rates of overall growth (e.g. 5% or more), such strategies do appear to have been consistent with some income gains by small farmers and agricultural paid workers

Agricultural economics · Agriculture · Business · Developing country · Development economics · Distribution (mathematics · Dominance (genetics · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Government (linguistics · Macroeconomics · Market economy · Natural resource economics · Scarcity · Technological change · Agricultural Innovations and Practices

• Technology Choice in Bhutan

  Open Access•Lauchlan T Munro•Mountain Research and Development•1989

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