(DP 1993-04) Rural Performance and Agricultural Growth: A Philippine Perspective

Abstract

Usual indicators of intertemporal rural performance are technically flawed mainly because of the shifting of the physical area of the rural sector as population grows and/or economic activity expands. The problem is illustrated using Philippine poverty data. The paper also shows that the rural poverty in the Philippines was substantially unaffected by the rapid agricultural growth during the green revolution period. Both demand and supply considerations constrained the responses of the rural sector to the stimulus provided by rapid agricultural growth.