What is structural change?
Farmers are continually faced with pressures to adjust to changing economic conditions. Its an inevitable outcome of the way market developments affect returns from agricultural production. In simple terms, structural change reflects the decisions by farmers to continually adjust the size and the nature of their farming operations. The changes are often incremental and it can lead to a gradual reduction in the number of farmers and farm holdings. Structural adjustment is about coping with change and its evident in the agricultural sectors of all countries. Change is occurring in both developed and developing countries irrespective of their stage of economic development. It involves three types of change: • farmers are working to improve the physical and financial performance of their farms; • at the same time there are new people entering agriculture, and • other farmers leaving the sector for other jobs or retiring. The relationship between structural change and industry development c
