History teaches us that agricultural growth and development is necessary for achieving overall better living conditions in all societies. Although this process may seem homogenous when looked at from the outside, it is full of diversity within. This book captures this diversity by presenting eleven independent case studies ranging over time and space. By comparing outcomes, attempts are made to draw general conclusion and lessons about the agricultural transformation process.
"The editors have blended a textbook with a research reference volume to create a publication that I think will appeal to many audiences." - American Journal of Agricultural Economics
"Overall, the 11 cases are an interesting collection of studies that have surprises (case 9) and examples of 'failures' (case 2), mixed in with well-documented illustrations of how different factors can play lead roles in the transformation process." - American Journal of Agricultural Economics
Introduction Ellen Hillbom and Patrick Svensson 1. Agricultural Transformation, Land Ownership, and Markets in Inland Spain: The Case of Southern Navarre, 1600–1935 José-Miguel Lana Berasain 2. Are Institutions the Whole Story? Frontier Expansion, Land Quality and Ownership Rights in the River Plate, 1850–1920 Henry Willebald 3. State-led Agricultural Development and Change in Yogyakarta, 1973–1996 Tobias Axelsson 4. Russian Peasants and Politicians: The Political Economy of Local Agricultural Support in Nizhnii Novgorod Province, 1864–1914 Steven Nafziger 5. Slaves as Capital Investment in the Dutch Cape Colony, 1652–1795 Johan Fourie 6. Land Inequality and Agrarian per Capita Incomes in Guadalajara, Spain, 1690–1800 Carlos Santiago-Caballero 7. Smallholders’ Access to Financial Institutions in Meru, Tanzania, 1995–2011 Ellen Hillbom 8. Production and Credits: A Micro–Level Analysis of the Agrarian Economy in Västra Karaby Parish, Sweden, 1786–1846 Mats Olsson and Patrick Svensson 9. Land Concentration, Institutional Control and African Agency. Growth and Stagnation of European Tobacco Farming in Shire Highlands, c. 1900–1940 Erik Green 10. Peasants Households’ Access to Land and Income Diversification, the Peruvian–Andean Case 1998–2000 Jackeline Velazco and Vicente Pinilla 11. Institutional Models for Accelerating Agricultural Commercialization: Evidence from Maize, Cotton and Horticulture in Zambia, 1965–2012 Antony Chapoto, Steven Haggblade, Munguzwe Hichaambwa, Stephen Kabwe, Steven Longabaugh, Nicholas J. Sitko and David Tschirley 12. Reflections on the Role of Agriculture in the Structural Transformation: A Macro–Micro Perspective C. Peter Timmer