Book excerpt: The Vision Of Andhra Pradesh, The First State In The Country To Develop It, Is To Build A Prosperous, Democratic, Egalitarian, And Cohesive Rural Society. Andhra Pradesh With Its Strengths In Agriculture And Food Production Has Tremendous Potential To Emerge As A Major Power House. Agricultural Performance Is The Key To Economic Growth And Poverty Alleviation Since It Is The Dominant Activity In Rural Areas.The Key Efforts Would Also Include (A) Constant Upgradation Of Technology With An Emphasis On Reduction In Unit Costs And Increase In Benefits That Would Flow To The Small Farmers And (B) Participation Of Beneficiaries In The Designing And Implementation Of Programmes. There Is A Need To Shift The Focus Of Research And Development From A Single Input Package Technology For Environmentally Homogeneous Regions (Irrigated Areas) To A Portfolio Of Location Specific Technologies For Dry Lands And Uplands, Which Are Heterogeneous.Raising Agricultural Productivity In A Sustainable And Equitable Manner Through Improvement Of Technology And Institutions Would Help Overcome Food Security. Attaining A Sustainable Growth Of 4-5 Per Cent Per Annum From Now To 2020 Of Gross Domestic Product From Agriculture Involves Key Reforms In Agriculture Trade, Investments In Post-Harvest Technologies Of A Huge Order, Raising The Efficiency And Quality Of Public Service Delivery, And A Clearly Stated Policy For Regulating The Private Sector To Protect The Natural Resource Base That Agriculture Relies On So That The Growth Is Sustained Over Generations.Informed Scientists And Economists Led By The Editors Yerram Raju And N.G.P. Rao Look At The Ways In Which This Lofty Vision Can Turn Into A Sustainable Strategy For Growth In The Key Agriculture Sector In This Book. This Book Holds Key To Many Of The Concerns Being Raised In The Context Of Implementation Of Agreement On Agriculture In The Wto.