One approach to economic development for less developed countries is to stimulate rapid agricultural growth. The purpose of this investigation is to critically examine the progress in the Philippines during the 1960s and 1970s in advancing agricultural and economic growth and alleviating poverty. An international perspective is given as well as the historical record on income distribution and poverty. Some of the primary issues are identified with regard to access to land agricultural productivity and rural poverty. Also exposed are the links between access to employment opportunities and rural poverty alleviation. The conclusion is reached that rapid agricultural growth has led to some decline in rural poverty in the Philippines. The extent of the decline is less than that for other Asian countries; the rural poor still constituted 54% of the total rural population in 1988. The absolute number of rural poor increased to 3.6 million in 1988. Poverty is as intense among the self-employed as among the wage-dependent households. The rural poor who are self-employed are primarily comprised of lease holders tenants and small owner cultivators. This group should be targeted for intervention programs due to their large population. The root causes of rural problems are low productivity landlessness high underemployment and high incidence of rural poverty. A comprehensive policy is needed in order to correct the disincentives to labor-intensive production and expand employment opportunities. Sustained growth in agriculture must occur along with rapid employment in sectors outside of agriculture. During the 1960s and 1970s rapid agricultural growth and the expansion of the service industry took place but without growth in the industrial sectors or alleviation of poverty. Although there was a rapidly expanding labor force productivity was low and underemployment high. Further research is needed on the expenditure patterns of rural households and the ability to meet demand. An examination is needed of the impact of public policies on rural growth and income distribution.