The political economy of agriculture for development today: the “small versus large” scale debate revisited
通过价值链与投入产出分析，比较危地马拉小农与大规模农业的增长乘数和生产率，发现小农农业在刺激产出增长方面潜力相同，且创造更多就业，因此主张政策应转向支持小规模粮食生产者。
The role of agriculture in economic development and the development politics of promoting smallholder versus large-scale agriculture have both been at the center of a long-lasting and controversial debate. Using an innovative methodology which combines a value chain approach with input-output-analysis, the growth multipliers and productivity of both farm types in Guatemala are analyzed. Results show that smallholder agriculture has the same potential to stimulate output growth as large-scale agriculture. Smallholder value chains include mainly informal sectors and create more jobs than commercial agriculture. Therefore, a reorientation of agricultural and land policies toward small-scale food producers and within a comprehensive policy of integrated rural development is not only necessary in terms of social equity but also for boosting economic development.