Three-quarters of the world’s poor live in rural areas, and many depend directly or indirectly on agriculture. Agricultural technologies have the potential to improve their lives through higher yields, better prices, lower risk, and improved nutrition. But take-up of these technologies—from improved seeds to financial products like microinsurance—is low. J-PAL affiliates are conducting rigorous research to test new ways to promote take-up, manage the risks inherent to agriculture, better link farmers to markets, and promote environmentally-sustainable agricultural practices.
Agriculture is not crop production as popular belief holds - it's the production of food and fiber from the world's land and waters. Without agriculture it is not possible to have a city, stock market, banks, university, church or army. Agriculture is the foundation of civilization and any stable economy.
Thomas Jefferson knew what he was saying about agriculture when he presented this quote. Do you every see a grumpy farmer? No, you always see them chatting with everyone about their job because they love it and not just because of the money. Yes farmers may be doing pretty well today but that is not the only reason they keep farming. They do it for you and everyone else in the world. They know that if we didn’t have farmers we would not have three meals a day. When Jefferson said this he didn’t mean real wealth, as in money, he meant that it will bring you the wealth of pride in your industry because you are doing something fulfilling.
