for the economy as a whole in these countries. But, in additionr slot, growth in agriculture waa lransmitted to other sectors and constrained their grotrth as welI. For example ' as a result of the strong forward and backward linkages bet$teen agrlculture and the rest of the economy, the gmall and larqely agro-based oanufacturing capaclty of the disadvantaged councrids was impeded in its growth by etratic supplies of agrlcultural rau materials and unstable demands from the farm sector for domestically produced lndustrial qoods. Even in medium- and hiqh-income aleveloptnq countries the performance of cbe agricultural sector exercised a strong influence on the pace of overall economic Arohrth chrough its effect on lhe rest of the economy and the patEern of external trade. 292. One reason that manufacturing production was expected to advance aE a much hlgher rate than agrlculture lies in the nature of structural change in countries undergoinq development. Although productivity growth and structural change in agriculhure can be rapid. atlovring output to expand rapidly, income and price elasticities for agricultural products are significantly below unity, with the result that, over the longer term, income generated in agriculture tends to falL as a proportion of total output. l{oreover, because the average level of labourprodijctivity in agriculture is lovr in devetoping countries when compared to that of the non-agr iculCura I sector, the shares of production and Labour force engaged in agriculcure also tend to dectine in response to higher wages and incomes in other secCors, and thereby leading to rural to urban migration. This migration usuall.y proceeds slower than the shift i.n production, and aqriculture remallns a maior aource of employment and income even after the development process is rdell underwayr Mirroring this change in agriculture is the rising importance of industry and
**Analysis**
The text discusses the impact of agricultural sector on the overall economy, highlighting the strong linkages between agriculture and other sectors. It also touches on the structural changes in agriculture during development and its effects on labor productivity, employment, and income. These themes suggest that the text is more relevant to the field of economic development and agriculture.

**Category**
Economic development, Agriculture, forestry and fishing