Introduction

Abstract

The twenty-first century has seen the concurrent rise of optimism about economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa and the return of the agricultural sector to the top of the development agenda. Ethiopia—with its rapid economic growth for two decades, achieved during a policy focus on the agricultural sector—is at the forefront of both these developments. This chapter introduces the book’s main theme of the role of agriculture in economic development, which is addressed based on a case study of Ethiopia.