The petroleum boom in the 1970's led to an agricultural disaster in many developing nations, however the opposite proved true in Tabasco, Mexico. This book analyzes the remarkable agricultural growth that took place in Tabasco, Mexico during the height of the 1972-1980 petroleum boom there. It describes the elements that contributed to the agricultural boom and that countered the oil syndrome which in many other countries and regions around the world has crippled agricultural production. The political position of the agricultural sector, agricultural prices, demographic conditions and attributes of local agriculture and rural economy are all examined in a comprehensive analysis of cacao farming, Tabasco's principal and most labor intensive agricultural sector.