This paper aims to support the implementation of the strategic development plans of Jordan by analyzing the role of agriculture and farmers in the Jordanian economy, the role that productivity and structural change can play for fostering agricultural growth, and the role agro-processing may play in Jordan’s economic development. We argue that the development of the agro-processing sector often has stronger backward and forward linkages with the agricultural sector than other sectors and, thus, plays an important role for rural transformation.

First Published in 1979 Economic Growth and Development in Jordan is a comprehensive analysis of the economies of pre-1967 Jordan and the post-1967 East Bank. Part I includes statistical data that measures the growth performance of Jordan’s prewar economy and presents the first quantitative explanation of its concentration in the service sector. Part II surveys the postwar East Bank economy, including a critical analysis of statistical data. The third section of the book covers Jordan’s development policies and experiences in the areas of agriculture, industry, and planning. Dr Mazur concludes with speculations on the future of the Jordanian economy with and without a Middle East peace settlement. This is an interesting read for students and researchers of economics, Middle East studies and Middle East economics.