Chapter 17 : Agricultural Development: Technology, Policies, and Institutions
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Before the 1950s, agriculture in nearly all developing countries relied on:
a.
hybrid crops and irrigation.
b.
traditional technologies and crop varieties.
c.
the new and emerging Green Revolution.
d.
grants and charity provided by the developed nations of the world.
2. By the 1960s, large public investments in crop science had begun to pay off in the form of:
a.
crop rotation and drip irrigation.
b.
the move toward organic farming.
c.
seeds for improved crop varieties and packages of complementary inputs.
d.
making barley and maize the new main staples at the dinner table.
3. The Green Revolution has had the least impact thus far in:
a.
East Asia.
c.
West Asia.
b.
Latin America.
d.
sub-Saharan Africa.
4. The months preceding the next harvest, when prices are at their highest, are known as the:
a.
drought.
c.
anticipatory season.
b.
lean season.
d.
season of hope.
5. The problem with the practice of shifting cultivation is that it has been linked to:
a.
price distortions in the marketplace.
b.
increased reports of farmers suffering from “spatial dislocation.”
c.
soil erosion.
d.
outbreaks of various disease strains.
6. It is currently estimated that for the time period ranging from 1997 to 2020, cereal demands in
developing nations will rise:
a.
15 percent.
c.
40 percent.
b.
35 percent.
d.
50 percent.
MSC: Factual
7. Which economist compared the actual performance of agricultural producers with their potential
performance?
a.
Arthur Mosher
c.
Esther Duflo
b.
Angus Deaton
d.
Simon Kuznets
8. The distribution of yields that are possible when all farmers maximize their profits given the
opportunities available to them in a given environment is known as:
a.
excess profit.
c.
allocative efficiency.
b.
producer surplus.
d.
economic ceiling.
9. Agronomist Norman Borlaug is often referred to as the father of:
a.
economic development.
c.
the World Bank.
b.
the Green Revolution.
d.
radical land redistribution.
10. By the year 2002, what percentage of cropland in sub-Saharan Africa was irrigated?
a.
4 percent
c.
15 percent
b.
12 percent
d.
22 percent
11. Since the 1980s, the growth rate of yields in the world’s major cereal crops has:
a.
trended steadily upward.
b.
been mostly consistent and remained the same over the past 30 years.
c.
trended strongly downward.
d.
fluctuated radically because of the objectives of different governmental policies around the
world.
12. The food policy dilemma, as defined by Timmer, Falcon, and Pearson, refers to:
a.
the continual battle within governments over what is to be grown in the agricultural sector.
b.
the push to move agricultural laborers to industrial jobs in the urban areas.
c.
the production of agricultural goods for domestic consumption vs. for export.
d.
conflicting interests of producers and consumers in regard to food prices.
13. What is the margin between farm-gate price and retail price called?
a.
marginal return
c.
marketing margin
b.
net profit
d.
base price
14. Share cropping is the dominant farming contractual arrangement in:
a.
South Asia.
c.
the Middle East.
b.
Latin America.
d.
sub-Saharan Africa.
15. Economists Derek Headey and Shenggen Fan have concluded that 60 percent to 70 percent of the
increase in corn prices is due to:
a.
the use of corn as improved feed for cattle to avoid future outbreaks of “mad cow”
disease.
b.
the increasing cost of transportation.
c.
the substitution of corn for higher profit-oriented crops.
d.
the diversion of corn for biofuels production.
SHORT ANSWER
IDs and Paired-Concept Questions
These terms can be used individually as short-answer identification questions, or they can be used in
pairs. In the latter case, ask students to explain (1) the meaning and significance of each of the two
terms and (2) the relationship between them.
1. Traditional agriculture, Green Revolution
ANS:
Answer will vary
2. Planting and harvesting time, the lean season
ANS:
Answer will vary
3. Shifting cultivation, slash and burn
ANS:
Answer will vary
4. Pastoral nomadism, settled agriculture
ANS:
Answer will vary
5. Intensive annual crops, mixed farming
ANS:
Answer will vary
6. Perennial crops, livestock systems
ANS:
Answer will vary
7. Actual performance, potential performance
ANS:
Answer will vary
8. Technical ceiling, technology diffusion
ANS:
Answer will vary
9. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI)
ANS:
Answer will vary
10. Intercropping, optimal crop mix
ANS:
Answer will vary
11. Overvalued exchange rates, ceilings on interest rates
ANS:
Answer will vary
12. Supply response, nonprice constraints
ANS:
Answer will vary
13. Latifunda, minifunda
ANS:
Answer will vary
14. Fixed-rent tenancy, share cropping
ANS:
Answer will vary
15. Common property resources, land tilting
ANS:
Answer will vary
16. Supply shocks, demand shocks
ANS:
Answer will vary