1.) Do you subscribe to the view that sharecropping is an inefficient form of tenancy in agriculture? You may argue for or against this view. 2.) Currently, agriculture performs a supporting role in developing world—it supports the urban industrial sector. Are you satisfied with this role or do you want to advocate a different role for agriculture? Solution 1. In my opinion, the system is not inefficient but there are loopholes in its implementation. For African American families, sharecropping had the advantage of involving less work than farming had involved during the slave era. Families worked together on a small plot, usually growing cotton or tobacco. African American sharecroppers worked about one-third fewer hours than they had as slaves, while women and children worked less than men. Workers were no longer forced to work as hard as possible until they were exhausted, as they had been under the slave system. Sharecroppers escaped the gang system and close supervision that had characterized slave agriculture. The disadvantages of sharecropping, however, soon became apparent. A new system of credit, the crop lien, became closely associated with sharecropping. Under this system, a planter or merchant extended a small line of credit to the sharecropper while taking the year’s crop as collateral. The sharecropper could then draw food and supplies from the store of the planter or the merchant. When the crop was harvested, the planter or merchants who held the lien sold the harvest for the sharecropper and settled the debt. The system depended on the honesty of the planter. Sharecropping is a good mode as long as people involved are honest and ethical in their approach. If one of the party tries to exploit other, it becomes unbearable. 2) This is an impoortant but not the only role for agriculture; Agriculture serves as raw material provider for agro based industries. It provides employment to a large section of population. It also acts as demand creating sector for non agriculture sectors. Importance of agricultural sector can be shown as below: 1. Per capita income is the annual average income of the individuals of a nation. We derive it by dividing national income on total population. Agricultural sector provides more jobs to unemployed people. It increases the individuals as well as national income. Agricultural sector is essential to increase the PCI, which is $ 1254 at present. 2. Agriculture sector provides employment to major portion of our labour force. More than 45.0% of our labour force is directly involved in agriculture sector, while 66.7% of our rural population is dependent on agriculture. This is the major sector, which provides employment to a large portion of our population. Agriculture sector is helpful to reduce the unemployment and disguised unemployment. 3. Agriculture development has significant impact on rural development. If productivity increases in agriculture it reduces poverty and stimulates non-farm employment, .