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Agriculture was the key economic sector of Iraq, Palestine and Transjordan/Jordan during the first half of the 20th century. Local and colonial administrators alike saw increasing agricultural productivity as indispensable, emphasising the development of education as one of the most effective ways of developing agriculture, and improving the status of cultivators overall. British and Jewish narratives of development went a step further, linking the ability to modernise agriculture with the right to rule. All three countries’ elementary-level curricula included theoretical and practical agriculture. The governments of Palestine and Iraq also taught agriculture at more advanced levels. However, a combination of practical and political considerations undermined the intended effects of this agricultural teaching. This article uses syllabuses, official reports, personnel files and journals to explore educational policies as well as their consequences. Contrary to what had been expected, agricultural education did not result in improved agricultural productivity; but offered an avenue of real social mobility for rural Iraqis, Palestinians and Transjordanians.