Boserup theory of agricultural development

1. Boserup Theory of Agricultural
Development
Vaibhav

2. • 1. Introduction to Boserup Theory of Agricultural
Development
• 2. Stages of Agricultural Development
•3. Growing Population and Other Changes
• 4. Boserup’s Theory and Modern Times under Developed
Economies
• 5. Criticisms.

3. Who is Esther Boserup?
• Born in 1910 in Copenhagen Denmark Died in 1999
Studied Economics and Agricultural Development at
the University of Copenhagen Made important
contributions to early feminism, and worked at the
United Nations
She made important adjustments to Malthusian
Theory She adapted the theory to adapt more to
societal changes and advancements Her model is
more advanced than Malthus’s She wrote the book
“The Conditions of Agricultural Growth: The
Economics of Agrarian Change under Population
Pressure.”

4. Introduction to Boserup Theory of Agricultural Development:
• Boserup occupies the place of pride in the task of discussing the
problems and processes of agricultural development. It is so not
because she attributed agricultural development to the factor which
so far has been described as irrelevant but as she has demolished a
theory propounded by classical economist. i.e. Malthus.
• The basic force behind agricultural development is the pressure of
population. The development of patterns and techniques of
cultivation is governed by the population growth. She supported
this contention through an examination of agricultural development
of some African and Latin American countries.

5. •According to Malthusian theory of population if at any time
food supply increases population will increase and new
equilibrium will be established between population and food
supply.
• In a sense, if population is less than the existing food supply,
population will increase and wipe out the excess food supply. But,
if population is already beyond the means of subsistence, it itself
will come down to reach an equilibrium through the positive
checks.
• Boserup has tried to refute both these aspects of Malthusian
theory. She criticised first part of the theory on the ground that
few observers would like to suggest that the tremendous increase
in the rates of population growth witnessed throughout the under
developed world in the two postwar decades could be explained as
a result of changes in the conditions for food production.

6. • It is reasonably clear that the population explosion is a change in
basic conditions which must be regarded as autonomous in the
sense that the explanation is to be sought not in the improved
conditions of food production but in medical inventions and some
other factors which the student of agricultural development would
regard as independent variables.
• As regards the second part of Malthusian theory, the refutation is
more direct and emphatic. Thus her theory of agricultural
development cannot be sustained so long as Malthusian contention
holds. According to Prof. Boserup, “whenever, there is a
population pressure, population does not go down. It rather leads
to various technical and other changes which result in agricultural
growth and increase in food supply.”

7. Stages of Agricultural Development:
•1. Forest Fallow:
According Prof. Boserup, agriculture in the initial stages is
called forest fallow which is based on very simple operations. It
needed small capital in the form of a seed or axes for felling of
trees. It also requires least amount of labour to produce
agricultural product. In this stage, matured forests are burnt.
The soil itself becomes loose due to burning of the forests. This
type of land can be dug up with a simple stick. No hoes or
ploughs are needed for sowing. In short, this stage needs the
least amount of capital and labour per unit of food production.

8. 2. Bush Fallow:
• Now let us examine, according to Prof. Boserup what happens when
population grows and its, requirements for food are not met by burning of
matured forests. Allowing a forest to mature fully, requires a long gestation
period. Obviously, for having more crops, the community will resort to the
burning of forests with less mature growth. When repeated burning of less
matured forests takes place, we find ourselves in the bush fallow stage. In this
stage bushes rather than forests are burnt.
• The soil in this stage is compact instead of becoming loose. Now, for producing
a crop on such a soil, an implement stronger than a mere stick accompanied
by more labour is required.
• It is so because burning of grass and weeds is very difficult as the hoe cannot
remove all the weeds, more labour will be required even for weeding
purposes. The period for a land to be follow declines from 25 to 6 years. In
short, we can say that growing population need more food and necessitate
bush burning.

9. 3. Short Fallow:
• The short fallow stage is accompanied by growth of population and
accordingly increased need of food grains in the society. The society
cannot afford to grow bushes. Thus, the land under grass and weeds
has to be used in its existing form.
• A hoe having been an important implement during the bush fallow
stage, cannot kill grass roots and weeds. Therefore, there arises the
need for plough. It is so because burning of grass and weeds is not an
easy task and the hoe cannot remove all the weeds.
• Moreover, there is only a little of fertilizing ashes because the burning
of bushes, too, has become less frequent. During this period, pond
mud, refuse, litter from surrounding land etc. is now needed as
manure. This needs more labour and capital.

10. 4. Annual Cropping:
In annual cropping, there is no fallow: No
doubt, sometime lapses between the
harvesting of one crop in one year and the
sowing of other in the following year. In fact, it
is called an annual rotation system in which
the time intervening two crops is utilized for
sowing grass or fodder.

11. 5. Multiple Cropping:
• According to Prof. E. Boserup, multiple cropping is the most crucial and intensive
system of land use pattern. Under this system, two and more successive crops can be
sown in a year. It means, there is sufficient scope to grow a variety of crops during
rabi and kharif seasons.
• The fallow period is almost negligible. As a result of growing population both the
fourth and fifth stages of agricultural development will again come into existence.
These require not only more capital but as well as more of labour.
• In fact, in support of her view, Boserup quotes Parain to suggest that there is another
stage of agricultural development after the short fallow stage. It was the introduction
of three cause of rotation in Northern Europe in 800 AD. Again, it is brought about by
the growing density of population.
• These stages require more labour per unit of food produced. As more food is needed
and agriculture enters the short fallow stage, draught animals have to be kept one
could afford to pay less attention to their upkeep when population density was low
and population requires less intensive agricultural operation. But the increase in the
density of population, agricultural operations will assume wider dimensions and
draught cattle will have to be kept more busy.

12. Growing Population and Other Changes:
• Prof. Boserup has referred to another change in which agriculture develops as
a consequence of growing population. It is with regard to change in the make
of tools. In agricultural development along with different tools employed in
different stages, there also exist the change in their source.
• The agricultural communities prefer to use tools by artisans or factories in
towns. Apart from all this, it has also been noticed that some rural
communities like that of Indonesia have changed to better tools without
changing the kind of tools.
• Boserup tried to emphasise the point that in the pre-industrial stage, growing
population does not create any obstacle in the way of investment needed for
agricultural development The investment like raising of new fields, minor
irrigation work, digging of canals, drainage etc. need the conversion of human
labour into capital assets. Therefore, a growing population is welcomed in
these stages of agricultural development.

13. Boserup’s Theory and Modern Times under Developed Economies:
• Prof. Boserup maintained that her theory of agricultural development is valid
even in the modern times for under-developed countries with undeveloped
industrial sector For instance, she remarked that the modest increases in
output per man hour which can be obtained by the use of industrial products
or scientific methods in such communities may not be sufficient to pay for
every scarce resource of skilled labour and foreign exchange which they
absorb.
• Therefore, it seems somewhat unrealistic to assume that a revolution of
agricultural techniques by means of modern industrial and scientific methods
will take place in near future in countries which have not yet reached the stage
of urban industrialization.

14. Criticism