Abstract
The article analyzes the World Bank's (WB) agriculture and rural development activities (ARD) from its foundation until 2003, with an emphasis on the political dimension. It is concluded that from the 1960s onwards, the WB played a significant role in the formulation, articulation, induction, and catalyzation of transnational and national ARD policies, helping to widen the social space for the valorization of capital in agriculture and to accelerate the mercantilization of rural lands. Initiatives aimed at the reduction of rural poverty, practiced in a variable and irregular manner since 1968, left a legacy difficult to measure and assess, especially because they sought to preserve - rather than combat - the concentration of land ownership.
Keywords
green revolution; rural poverty; agrarian reform