FAO Economic and Social Development Paper No.99(Xeroxy Copy).

This study discusses the basic approaches by which the impact of structural adjustment policies on agricultural product and labour markets is assessed. The author suggests that a closer examination of the actual structure of production relations in Sub-Saharan countries point to their inadequacy. The study claims that a better understanding of how agricultural labour markets function requires a consideration of atleast five important factors: the nature of rural/urban links, the agricultural potential of the various agro-climatic zones, the nature of production relationships and employment contacts, the degree of rural stratification, and the possibilities of migration. The study concludes that the inefficiencies in agricultural labour markets restrict the anticipated benefits of structural adjustment programmes and limit them to a minority of the rural population.