Agriculture In Economic Development

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For hundreds of years, the agricultural sector has been connected with production of essential food crops, being the main source of livelihood for many people. The fundamental role of agriculture in economic development of many countries around the world has long been recognized (Alston and Pardey 2014). A stable agricultural sector ensures a nation of food security, preventing malnourishment that traditionally has been believed to be one of the major problems in developing countries (Shetty 2015). In developed countries, agriculture has been often seen as a source of contributions that promote industrial growth and boost the economy. Over the last 60 years, intensive production practices of high-yielding staple food crops were promoted. In…show more content…
On the other hand, small-scale farmers in many parts of the world do not have sufficient access to state-of-the-art technologies, inputs, knowledge, and innovations that enhance productivity. Thus, increased attention has been directed towards new production approaches aiming to maintaining sustainable production and at the same time minimizing the ecological impact of agriculture practices. Although the primary role of agriculture is to produce food and fiber, many other functions, such as land conservation, maintenance of landscape structure, sustainable management of natural resources, preservation of biodiversity, and offering to the economic viability of rural areas are also important (Boody et al. 2005). This multifunctional role of agriculture in producing various commodities and non-commodity outputs is receiving attention lately (Daugstad et al.…show more content…
In developing countries like Iran, where small-scale agriculture is widely implemented, there is great diversity in farmer-based products and availability of resources to implement the multiple functions of agriculture. However, non-commodity outputs tend to be under-produced because they do not have a market price. Understanding farmers’ perceptions and beliefs of MFA can be a first step to better understand the behaviors of key actors in rural communities. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the multi-functional role of agriculture as it is perceived and expressed among small-scale farmers in Shanderman District as a part of Masal County in Guilan province of northern Iran. In particular, the research questions set in this study were the following: is there a positive or negative perception of MFA among farmers and what way is it seen as valuable and in which

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