Agricultural Growth Rural Poverty And Environmental Degradation

In his study of the poverty alleviation programmes, the author finds that even though the poorest of the poor are relatively efficient in utilizing the assistance they receive, the schemes themselves are heavily dependent on the bureaucracy, leading to inefficiencies and leakages. Environmental degradation is attributed to the slow rate of land-augmenting technological change and the inequitable distribution of gains resulting in pressure on the environment from the poor as well as the affluent. On account of the low rate of capital formation and relatively efficient use of available resources, the author sees little scope for raising agricultural output in India merely by freeing the markets. On the basis of his study, Dr Rao recommends stepping up public investment in agriculture, especially in irrigation and research, as essential to raise the growth rate, and to realize the possible gains from trade as well as to ensure the equitable sharing of such gains.

Study conducted in West Bengal, with special reference to Nadia District.

Case studies-- of the links between highlands and lowlands in Latin America; of transmigration in Indonesia; and of migration and desertification in the Sudan-- illustrate the relationship between poverty, internal migration, and environmental change in rural areas of developing countries.

In recent decades the world has made remarkable progress in improving the quality of life for millions of people, but the job of assuring sustainable food security for the world's poorest people remains unfinished. Booming populations, rapid urbanization,

Rural development is a subject that appears to be plagued by a central paradox: development is necessary to alleviate rural poverty, but while new technology has raised agricultural output, it has also increased the suffering of millions of poor landless families in many Third World countries. The rural poor, especially women, have been marginalized; urban migrants have become desperate unemployed squatters, not well-paid industrial workers; and environmental degradation has proved severe. The authors argue that many development programmes go awry because the authorities neglect essential development issues. Development must be defined in terms of the provision of basic human needs which include life expectancy, infant mortality, and literacy indicators which reflect the quality of life of the bulk of the population, not just a narrow elite. What they suggest is that the issues neglected by the conventional approach must be addressed if true development is to occur.