Agriculture is the largest sector in most sub-Saharan economies in terms of employment, and it
plays an important role in supplying food and export earnings. Rural poverty rates remain high,
and labor productivity is strikingly low. This paper asks how these factors shape the role of
agriculture in African development strategies. Is agricultural growth a prerequisite for growth in
other sectors? Or will urbanization and non-agricultural export markets ultimately be the forces
that pull the rural economy into higher productivity? We argue that agricultural development
strategies will vary widely because of heterogeneity across and within countries.