One of the principal factors underlying Anwar Sadat's willingness to sign a peace treaty with Israel was the deplorable state of the Egyptian economy. Multiplying shortages, deteriorating infrastructures, and spiraling foreign debts fill the economic news from Egypt. A central component of this domestic crisis is agriculture. Agriculture forms the basis for a vast portion of the Egyptian economy, accounting for nearly half the country's employment and nearly a third of its gross national product, as well as providing materials for over half of its industry. This book describes and interprets...

One of the most serious problems facing the Middle East and North Africa · is the region's growing inability to feed its expanding population. Rapidly escalating demand has made the region highly dependent on food imports, and policy initiatives intended to increase domestic production have met with mixed success at best. The contributors to this volume examine the historical origins of state policies toward agriculture, recent policy changes and their effects on domestic supply, and the social and political implications of these shifts. Focusing on the region's largest agricultural...