AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

This course is aimed at providing training and discussion in an interdisciplinary fashion of the major issues in the theory and practice of rural development with special emphasis on agriculture. While the thinking about the role of agriculture in development has changed over time, the dominant paradigm since the 1970s has oftenunderstood agriculture as an ?engine of growth? in the early stages of development because of its high share of economic activity and its strong growth linkages with the rest of the economy, including the rural non-farm economy. The course therefore underscores the importance of agriculture in rural development. It provides knowledge and analysis on how agricultural transformation can contribute to poverty reduction and consequently lead to rural development in developing countries. The focus will be on processes of agricultural and rural development within the context of developing countries, while emphasising their implications for development strategies and policies at local, national and international levels. Key issues to be addressed include the level and nature of inter-relationships between agriculture and rural development, processes of agricultural transformation in developing countries, and the role of institutions and policies in processes of agricultural and rural development.