The policy of providing microcredit and skill training to poor agricultural workers in developing countries is well-established. In this study, an attempt has been made to assess the effectiveness of the training part of that policy. BRAC (formerly the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), the largest non-governmental organization in…

Insufficient data generally identifies the malnourished as migrant urban poor, landless and near-landless laborers, and small farmers. Nutrition programs more easily reach urban poor than rural poor. Improved technology and new land settlement could help. However, demand for farm labor would be seasonal, increasing the need for small industry…

This paper explores issues and hypotheses concerned with women's work in developing economies. The relationships among agricultural labor, marketing, and trading activity rates in traditional and modernizing economies are not supported by the data. Alternative hypotheses explain the differential employment rates of women in modernizing economies.…

The plight of the landless rural poor is discussed and some possible solutions to their situation are suggested and examined. (MDR)

Argues that agriculture production in developing nations should be organized to ensure economic viability. Government policy must emphasize participants' productive capacities and integrate agricultural workers into the new organization of production. (Author/DB)

Covers the declaration and recommendations adapted at an international forum on the role of workers' organizations and education in rural development. First presents the declaration, which includes purpose of development and the role of organizations, trade unions, rural organizations, workers education, and adult education. It then presents the…

Addresses the issue related to the fact that Zambian women perform over 80 percent of the farm work in Zambia, yet have limited access to skills, technologies, labor, capital, and land that would help their work. Integration of women into development projects in Zambia and areas for future research are also discussed. (GG)

Explores relationship between farm technology and labor availability in Africa. Studies introduction of high-yielding maize variety in Zambia and resulting effects on labor availability/mobilization. Shows shift to hybrids requires additional labor, including available children. Illustrates need for adoption research taking broader farming…

Extracts from proceedings of the International Labor Conference (Geneva, June 1975) concerning organizations of rural workers and their role in economic and social development. Includes convention recommendations concerning the role of such organizations, means of encouraging their growth, legislative and administrative measures, education and…

The crisis in Jamaican agriculture is due to environmental factors like climate conditions and to social and economic factors like the plantation system. Along with mining, tourism, and manufacturing, agriculture has a key role to play in the Jamaican economy. Suggests ways to improve productivity by aid to family farms. (CS)

A nine-member Study Mission was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and visited China in 1975 to study Chinese approaches to agricultural and rural development in depth; to analyze the commune experience as an example of integrated rural development; and to try to determine in what ways the Chinese development…

The status of women viewed against the background of the United Nations Decade for Women is examined with emphasis on the world context, the Latin American context, and the context of rural women in the region. It describes attempts at categorization of rural women in Latin America based on the main types of agricultural economy in the region and…

The Great Leap Forward disaster, characterized by a collapse in grain production and a widespread famine in China between 1959 and 1961, is found attributable to a systemic failure in central planning. Wishfully expecting a great leap in agricultural productivity from collectivization, the Chinese government accelerated its aggressive…

Using 1957 and 1970 census data, four independent variables were used to explore determinants and constraints of Malaysian women's participation in the modern sector: ethnic community, educational attainment, size of place of residence, and marital/family status. Women's labor force participation increased as agricultural employment declined and a…