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Copyright of Ager: Journal of Depopulation & Rural Development Studies / Revista de Estudios sobre Despoblación y Desarrollo Rural is the property of Rolde de Estudios Aragoneses and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

It is estimated that the poor in rural areas represent a quarter of the 1,200,000 poor people in the world. In some countries, the figures rise up to 90%. The major cause of this growth in poverty occurs when small land owners undergo increasing pressure to abandon the agricultural sector. This process is also fueled by marketing and political forces that affect land ownership, rent, prices, access to loans, goods and services, and investment in social and physical infrastructure. Agricultural development is a key factor in reducing rural poverty as research shows that at least 53 cents per dollar paid in production is kept in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]