Correlation between Growth in Agriculture and Poverty Alleviation

Agriculture and farming is known to be the pioneer occupation of man. From its
roots men have now come a long way from more than just planting crops and attending
livestock. Nevertheless, it is still used as of one the biggest bridges men use in order to
advance in society. Despite the current progress that man has achieved throughout the
years, it should be noted that the hierarchy of social status between men is still present.
Realistically speaking this hierarchy is far from being eradicated; however, its alleviation
is one of mans main goals. Taking into account our aforementioned discussion
regarding agriculture, the focal point of this essay will examine the role of agriculture
and its growth when it comes to the alleviation of poverty.
Irz et al. (2001, as cited by Schneider and Gugerty 2011) emphasizes that the
direct effect of agriculture growth is through the increase of income of the farmers. It is
further added that with the growth of agricultural reproduction, farm labour is bound to
increase in demand as well thus providing more work opportunities for the poor.
However, Grewal and Ahmed (2011) explain that there are several levels of interaction
between agriculture and poverty that should be taken into consideration in trying to
explain the correlation between the two. Firstly, the effect of growth in agriculture is by
the increasing income of workers within the sector. Second, the growth in agriculture
can only be felt depending on the rate of participation of the poor Third, agriculture
development can only affect poverty depending on its size and hold on the national
economy. Lastly, growth in agriculture can also affect the non-agricultural sector in the
economy by examining its increase in demand. This is further supported by Fan, Hazell
and Thorat (1999, as cited by Schneider and Gugerty, 2011) through indicating the
increase of productivity in other investments. As the latter level of interaction implies,
growth in agriculture is only one of the first stages when it comes to the economic
advancement of any country, taking into consideration the contemporary technological
advancement in the industry, agriculture growth is only the first stepping stone in aiding
the poor with their adaption in the progressing world.

Works Cited
Fan, S., Hazell, P., & Thorat, S. (1999). Linkages between Government Spending,
Growth, and Poverty in Rural India. Washington D.C.: International Food Policy
Research Institute.
Grewal, B., & Ahmed, A. (2011). Agriculture and Poverty Reduction: Literature
Review and Outstanding Issues. Melbourne: Victoria Unversity.
Irz, X., Lin, L., Thirtle, C., & Wiggins, S. (2001). Agricultural Productivity Growth and
Poverty Alleviation. Development Policy Review , 449-466.
Schneider, K., & Gugerty, M. K. (2011). Agricultural Productivity and Poverty
Reduction: Linkages and Pathways. The Evans School Review , 56-74.