Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Introduction and Overview / Joachim Von Braun -- 2. Conceptual Framework / Joachim Von Braun, Howarth Bouis and Eileen Kennedy -- 3. Production, Employment, and Income Effects of Commercialization of Agriculture / Joachim Von Braun -- 4. Consumption Effects of Commercialization of Agriculture / Howarth Bouis -- 5. Health and Nutrition Effects of Commercialization of Agriculture / Eileen Kennedy -- 6. Commercialization of Agriculture and Food Security: Development Strategy and Trade Policy Issues / Nurul Islam -- 7. China's Experience with Market Reform for Commercialization of Agriculture in Poor Areas / Tong Zhong, Scott Rozelle, Bruce Stone, Jiang Dehua, Chen Jiyuan and Xu Zhikang -- 8. Investment in Rural Infrastructure: Critical for Commercialization in Bangladesh / Raisuddin Ahmed -- 9. Agricultural Processing Enterprises: Development Potentials and Links to the Smallholder / John C. Abbott -- 10. Contract Farming and Commercialization of Agriculture in Developing Countries / David Glover.

11. Income and Employment Generation from Agricultural Processing and Marketing at the Village Level: A Study in Upland Java, Indonesia / Toshihiko Kawagoe -- 12. Nontraditional Vegetable Crops and Food Security among Smallholder Farmers in Guatemala / Joachim Von Braun and Maarten D. C. Immink -- 13. The Nutrition Effects of Sugarcane Cropping in a Southern Philippine Province / Howarth Bouis and Lawrence J. Haddad -- 14. The Effect of a Short-Lived Plantation on Income, Consumption, and Nutrition: An Example from Papua New Guinea / John R. McComb, M. P. Finlayson, J. Brian Hardaker and Peter F. Heywood -- 15. Why Should It Matter What Commodity Is the Source of Agricultural Profits? Dairy Development in India / Harold Alderman -- 16. Effects of Sugarcane Production in Southwestern Kenya on Income and Nutrition / Eileen Kennedy -- 17. Commercialization of Rice and Nutrition: A Case from West Kenya / Rudo Niemeijer and Jan Hoorweg.

18. The Triple Role of Potatoes as a Source of Cash, Food, and Employment: Effects on Nutritional Improvement in Rwanda / Jurgen Blanken, Joachim Von Braun and Hartwig De Haen -- 19. Maize in Zambia: Effects of Technological Change on Food Consumption and Nutrition / Shubh K. Kumar and Catherine Siandwazi -- 20. Tobacco Cultivation, Food Production, and Nutrition among Smallholders in Malawi / Pauline E. Peters and M. Guillermo Herrera -- 21. Smallholder Tree Crops in Sierra Leone: Impacts on Food Consumption and Nutrition / Friederike Bellin -- 22. Nutritional Effects of Commercialization of a Woman's Crop: Irrigated Rice in The Gambia / Joachim Von Braun, Ken B. Johm and Detlev Puetz -- 23. Conclusions for Agricultural Commercialization Policy / Joachim Von Braun and Eileen Kennedy.

The commercialization of agriculture has been the cornerstone of economic development for many developing countries. Yet there continues to be concern about the effects of commercialization on poverty and nutrition in countries that are promoting the shift away from subsistence agriculture.

In Agricultural Commercialization, Economic Development, and Nutrition Joachim von Braun and Eileen Kennedy bring together a distinguished group of authorities who present solid empirical data based on a comprehensive conceptual framework. The authors examine the driving forces of commercialization, such as trade policy and infrastructure, and analyze potential risks to the poor.

Original case studies based on one to three years of fieldwork by multidisciplinary teams focus on The Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Zambia, Guatemala, India, China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.

The authors conclude that commercialization of agriculture can enhance economic development through employment and income growth, which bring about improvements in nutrition, especially for the poor. This is the first comprehensive treatment of the issues that link agricultural commercialization, development, and nutrition.

It provides detailed information and highlights specific policies that can further enhance the food security and nutrition effects of agricultural commercialization in a variety of settings.