Agricultural Change

Abstract

The agriculture of the industrial countries is changing in many ways and at a rapid pace. Clearly farming is not what it used to be. Mechanical power has been substituted for animal power; in some countries this transition has now been completed, while in others it will be largely completed in this decade. The self-contained farm is a thing of the past in the industrial regions; in a number of countries the value of purchased inputs (other than labour) is approaching half of the gross value of output. Farming has become a highly sophisticated production process, depending upon fertilizers, tractors, electric motors, hydraulic devices, air conditioning, pesticides, herbicides, vitamins, antibiotics, synthetic proteins and, to some degree, computers. The management of such enterprises requires a high degree of flexibility and intelligence and a great deal of detailed knowledge of prices and production alternatives.