AGRICULTURAL GROWTH, LANDLESSNESS, OFF-FARM EMPLOYMENT, AND RURAL POVERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES

This article provides a critical look at the Philippine record with respect to agricultural growth and poverty alleviation. It argues that rapid agricultural growth, as demonstrated by the experience in the 1960s and 1970s, is not enough to pull the rural poor out of poverty as well as sustain rapid overall economic growth. Economic structures and the economic policy environment have to be conducive to the rapid growth of employment opportunities for the fast-growing labor force, particularly in the nonagriculture sector. Section 2 of the article characterizes Philippine agricultural growth in an international perspective. Section 3 then examines the historical record with respect to income distribution and poverty. Section 4 turns to issues concerning access to land, agricultural productivity, and rural poverty. Section 5 discusses the link between access to employment opportunities and rural poverty. Finally, Section 6 provides concluding comments. -from Author