The tropics and economic development
1976
Kamarck, Andrew M.
The effects of climate on agriculture and exploration for mineral resources, the recent international effort to deal with adverse climatological effects on agriculture, and the impact of disease on tropical economies are analyzed. The hot, humid climate of the tropics reduces the efficiency of workers, cattle, and land, meaning that substantially greater development effortsare needed to achieve results similar to those realized in thenorth. Land erosion of topsoil is much more serious in tropical countries. High rates of evaporation affecting irrigation projects often result in salinization. In response to threats toagricultural and pastoral development, research has been undertaken to develop grazing-management schemes, experiment with fertilizer and plant breeding, and implement land-rotation schemes that combine agriculture and pastoralism. Lack of geophysical and geochemical techniques applicable to the tropics constitutes the central impediment to location of mineral deposits. Finally, the major diseases facing health research efforts include bilharzia, malaria, river blindness, parasitic worms, leprosy, leishmaniasis, yellow fever, dengue, and cholera.
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