| Agriculture development in the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya presents a number of challenging problems. Given the irregular and limited rainfall, the scarcity of subsurface water and the poor soil, large investments are needed to prevent further deterioration in the country's farming conditions.;In Libya, agriculture comprises the largest sector of the economy. The development of agriculture and related services offer the main opportunities for the effective utilization of the country's natural resources. The Libyans realize that oil can provide the needed capital for the modernization of agriculture, but it can never be a substitute. Furthermore, it will be extremely difficult to stimulate the growth of agricultural production until the agricultural community is better rewarded for its efforts through subsidies, loans and availability of agricultural experts.;The purpose of this study is to describe and evaluate the impact that the investment of oil revenues has had and will continue to have on Libyan agriculture. Furthermore, it investigates the recent use of oil money for development of agricultural lands. Vast projects have been established in the coastal and the southern regions. A host of settlement projects have been created making housing and agricultural facilities available for the farmers. The dissertation also deals with the misuse of agricultural lands that has led to economic and social problems throughout the country. Further, this paper presents an account of the significant agricultural changes in recent years.;References have been made to land tenure systems prevailing in the country. The study touches also upon urbanization, water development projects, chemical aids, modern techniques, and the introduction of new agricultural crops.;Since the early 1960's, the entire fabric of the country's economy has been transformed by the discovery and marketing of oil. Income, resulting from oil development, has been rising sharply, and the increasing demand for food and other commodities has been reflected in a dramatic increase in imports of these items. |
