Dilemmas in Development: Journeys of an Agricultural Economist

Dilemmas in Development is an account of the author’s professional experience as an agricultural economist and later as an aid manager, living overseas in Africa, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. From dealing with sisal nationalisation and coffee diversification in Tanzania, he worked on rural employment creation in Kenya. In Indonesia, he instigated programmes for smallholder rubber and coconut replanting. In the Philippines, he focused on farming systems for farmers forced onto hillsides. As economic adviser in London, he made several missions to India, being involved with farmer extension and agricultural credit schemes aimed at the rural poor. In Pakistan, he was concerned with irrigation schemes in Sind and Baluchistan. In the Caribbean, he played a role in sustaining the smallholder banana industry in the face of competition from Latin American producers. In Sudan, he confronted famine and civil war. While in Brussels, he engaged in political dialogue relating to post-conflict rehabilitation in Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Bougainville. In a concluding chapter, he reflects on the lessons of experience for outstanding development issues.