Agricultural Development in the Libyan Arab Republic

Abstract

Agricultural development is a part of the general economic and social development whose goal is to raise the per capita income for rural population. Agriculture plays an important role in economic development since it must expand its products to meet the expanding demand for food; it is an important source of capital, whether this is foreign or domestic, needed for development; a source of labor force needed for expansion in other sectors; a source of raw materials, needed for some industries; and it is an important market for non-agricultural products.
The First of September Revolution is giving agriculture and its development special attention, since agriculture is the second major sector in the Libyan economy with respect to the contribution to national income, exports, and employment. The government allocated more than 440 million dinars for agricultural development during the three-year plan (1973-1975), which is about 15 times the expenditure on agriculture during the 5 years just prior to the Revolution.
The objectives of agricultural development and planning in the L.A.R. are: the use of all resources available for self-sufficiency of agricultural products; to enable the government to export agricultural products; to raise and stabilize farmers' income; to reduce the dependence on oil production as a major source for national income; and to establish a sound agriculture as a base for economic development.