Children and women in traditional and cash crop agriculture

This is the second of two publications concerning the economic activities of a sample of rural Guatemalan families in 1974, and how their activities relate to economic development and population growth. This Note focuses on agricultural production, emphasizing the role of children and women. The data describe the economic activities of roughly 1000 families in four rural villages and another 1000 families in a larger, more modern community about 30 minutes' bus ride from Guatemala City. This Note analyzes and compares production practices in the village and the more modern community, distinguishing between traditional and cash crops. The author looks at the value and use of children and women in agriculture and how these influence population growth. The Note focuses on the effects of economic development on the use of family labor in agriculture and how these factors influence the incentive to reduce family size.