The basic objective of agricultural research at ICARDA is to enhance pro­ ducer and consumer welfare through increasing the productivity, stability, and profitability of agriculture. Improved practices must be technically, ec­ onomically, and socially suitable to farmer conditions. The rainfed areas of West Asia and North Africa have highly variable environmental conditions as well as complex social and economic structures. In recent years, the region has been experiencing major changes in the relative availabilities and costs of the classical factors of production: land, labor, and capital. These changes have important implications for the design of new agricultural technology. On the one hand, the availability of labor may be an important factor determining the acceptability of new technology. On the other, it is important to consider the impact that technology can have on rural employment. To develop a better awareness of these issues and their relevance to technology development, ICARD A initiated a project on Agricultural Labor and Tech­ nological Change. The first stage of the project is published here; it is a review of available literature on selected issues of regional importance, com­ bined with more detailed analyses of the situations of eight countries with important rainfed agricultural sectors. ICARDA greatly appreciates the financial assistance of the Ford Foun­ dation, which allowed us to support the execution of the study and publi­ cation of its findings. We also appreciate the great efforts of the authors in the face of often limited data and facilities.

One: Regional Overview Papers.- 1. Labor and the Adoption and Impact of Farm Technology.- 2. Labor Markets in North Africa and the Near East: A Survey of Developments Since 1970.- 3. Mechanization, Off-Farm Employment and Agriculture.- 4. Household Labor Issues in West Asia and North Africa.- 5. Perspectives from Labor Studies in South Asia.- Two: Country Review Papers.- 6. Agricultural Labor and Technological Change in Turkey.- 7. Agricultural Labor and Technological Change in Cyprus.- 8. Agricultural Labor and Technological Change in the Syrian Arab Republic.- 9. Agricultural Labor and Technological Change in Jordan.- 10. Agricultural Labor and Technological Change in Iraq.- 11. Agricultural Labor and Technological Change in the Yemen Arab Republic.- 12. Agricultural Labor and Technological Change in Tunisia.- 13. Agricultural Labor and Technological Change in Morocco.- List of Contributors.