Summary of Joe Studwell's How Asia Works

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 In a country in the early stages of development, typically 75 percent of the population is employed in agriculture. The problem with agriculture in pre-industrial states with rising populations is that when market forces are left to themselves, agricultural yields tend to stagnate or even fall.

#2 The question of efficiency depends on what outcome you are looking for. Big capitalist farms may produce the highest return on cash invested, but that is not the agricultural efficiency that is appropriate to a developing state.

#3 The world of the home fruit and vegetable gardener is very familiar to the post-war east Asian peasant family with its mini-farm. The labor-intensive gardening approach to cultivation gets more out of a given plot of land than anything else.

#4 The problem is that the gardening level of output needs so much labor. If Mr. Doiron gardened full time, he might be able to maintain his yields for 1,000 square meters of land. But that would still require ten Mr. Doirons to earn $135,000 across one hectare before costs.

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Release date

Ebook: 17 June 2022