Chapter 29 Agriculture and economic development This chapter takes an analytical look at the potential role of agriculture in contributing to economic growth and develops a framework for understanding and quantifying this contribution. The framework points to the key areas where positive linkages not necessarily well mediated by markets might exist and it highlights the empirical difficulties in establishing their quantitative magnitude and direction of impact. Evidence on the impact of investments in rural education and of nutrition on economic growth is reviewed. The policy discussion focuses especially on the role of agricultural growth in poverty alleviation and the nature of the market environment that will stimulate that growth.