The Conditions of Agricultural Growth: The Economics of Agrarian Change Under Population Pressure

This is a stimulating, even provocative book which should cause many social scientists and agriculturalists to revise, expand, or at least re-examine their views of the processes of agricultural change... The book is a new signpost along important roads of scholarship. It may be either accepted or refuted in whole or in part; it cannot be ignored.

--Clarence W. Olmstead, Economic Geography

This essay... [is] a most formative work in the theory of agricultural change. In it Mrs Boserup lifts the theory of agricultural development out of the rut of sterile discussion of land use and tenure, and sets it within an illuminating dynamic framework, which reveals the irrelevance of old squabbles by raising neglected but fundamental issues... Mrs Boserup writes with great rigour, economy and clarity.

--Charles M. Elliott, The Economic History Review

Bosserup's theory derives agricultural development in many pre-industrial societies from population growth: population growth is here regarded as the independent variable which in its turn is a major factor determining agricultural developments.. . A steadily increasing population within a given land area necessitates new agricultural techniques and more intensive land use in order to feed the expanding population... [Boserup] has justly brought attention to population growth as an essential factor in any model of societal development. This is a point frequently overlooked by anthropologists.

--Charles Sheffer, American Antiquity

It is always a pleasure to see a potent and useful text made more available, and Boserup's quondam revolutionary work is just that... Boserup's argument reversed the standard doctrine that in basic agrarian societies 'agricultural development controls population growth' and instead argued that population growth would determine agricultural development... Throughout, the argument is kept beautifully succinct. The points of contention are clearly indicated, leaving the reader free to develop counter arguments and add interpretation as the argument is developed; which makes for that rare object, an excellent, thought-provoking, teaching text.

--John F. Loder, Journal of Tropical Ecology

a classic in the development literature.

--Education in Science and Technology

essential reading in the context of the generally gloomy debate on the effects of population growth on poverty and the status of the environment.

--Development Policy Review

This is a stimulating, even provocative book which should cause many social scientists and agriculturalists to revise, expand, or at least re-examine their views of the processes of agricultural change... The book is a new signpost along important roads of scholarship. It may be either accepted or refuted in whole or in part; it cannot be ignored.

--Clarence W. Olmstead, Economic Geography

This essay... [is] a most formative work in the theory of agricultural change. In it Mrs Boserup lifts the theory of agricultural development out of the rut of sterile discussion of land use and tenure, and sets it within an illuminating dynamic framework, which reveals the irrelevance of old squabbles by raising neglected but fundamental issues... Mrs Boserup writes with great rigour, economy and clarity.

--Charles M. Elliott, The Economic History Review

Bosserup's theory derives agricultural development in many pre-industrial societies from population growth: population growth is here regarded as the independent variable which in its turn is a major factor determining agricultural developments.. . A steadily increasing population within a given land area necessitates new agricultural techniques and more intensive land use in order to feed the expanding population... [Boserup] has justly brought attention to population growth as an essential factor in any model of societal development. This is a point frequently overlooked by anthropologists.

--Charles Sheffer, American Antiquity

It is always a pleasure to see a potent and useful text made more available, and Boserup's quondam revolutionary work is just that... Boserup's argument reversed the standard doctrine that in basic agrarian societies 'agricultural development controls population growth' and instead argued that population growth would determine agricultural development... Throughout, the argument is kept beautifully succinct. The points of contention are clearly indicated, leaving the reader free to develop counter arguments and add interpretation as the argument is developed; which makes for that rare object, an excellent, thought-provoking, teaching text.

--John F. Loder, Journal of Tropical Ecology

a classic in the development literature.

--Education in Science and Technology

essential reading in the context of the generally gloomy debate on the effects of population growth on poverty and the status of the environment.

--Development Policy Review

-This is a stimulating, even provocative book which should cause many social scientists and agriculturalists to revise, expand, or at least re-examine their views of the processes of agricultural change... The book is a new signpost along important roads of scholarship. It may be either accepted or refuted in whole or in part; it cannot be ignored.-

--Clarence W. Olmstead, Economic Geography

-This essay... [is] a most formative work in the theory of agricultural change. In it Mrs Boserup lifts the theory of agricultural development out of the rut of sterile discussion of land use and tenure, and sets it within an illuminating dynamic framework, which reveals the irrelevance of old squabbles by raising neglected but fundamental issues... Mrs Boserup writes with great rigour, economy and clarity.-

--Charles M. Elliott, The Economic History Review

-Bosserup's theory derives agricultural development in many pre-industrial societies from population growth: -population growth is here regarded as the independent variable which in its turn is a major factor determining agricultural developments-... A steadily increasing population within a given land area necessitates new agricultural techniques and more intensive land use in order to feed the expanding population... [Boserup] has justly brought attention to population growth as an essential factor in any model of societal development. This is a point frequently overlooked by anthropologists.-

--Charles Sheffer, American Antiquity

-It is always a pleasure to see a potent and useful text made more available, and Boserup's quondam revolutionary work is just that... Boserup's argument reversed the standard doctrine that in basic agrarian societies 'agricultural development controls population growth' and instead argued that population growth would determine agricultural development... Throughout, the argument is kept beautifully succinct. The points of contention are clearly indicated, leaving the reader free to develop counter arguments and add interpretation as the argument is developed; which makes for that rare object, an excellent, thought-provoking, teaching text.-

--John F. Loder, Journal of Tropical Ecology

-a classic in the development literature.-

--Education in Science and Technology

-essential reading in the context of the generally gloomy debate on the effects of population growth on poverty and the status of the environment.-

--Development Policy Review