Feeding the World in the 21st Century: A Historical Analysis of Agriculture and Society'Feeding The World in the 21st Century: A Historical Analysis of Agriculture and Society' provides a historical understanding of agricultural development over the last two centuries. Characteristics of the period have included the opening of the prairies in the late 18th century, the invention of industrial fertilizer and the tractor's displacement of the horse. Such profound developments have led to an abundance of food and peace and prosperity within the world market. This situation began at the end of the American Civil War and continued until 2005, when prices rose in spite of increased production. Smedshaug gives a historical background of the current situation, while discussing the ultimate challenge of how to feed a world of 10 billion people. This challenge has to be met in the light of climate change, water shortage, and not least the declining availability of fossil fuel. Smedshaug's analysis and recommendations underline the need for every country to have the freedom to establish an agricultural policy adapted to the given national natural conditions, as well as the need to put the producer at the heart of the policy in such a way that all countries can utilize their potential to produce food, and hence to feed the world. |
Contents
Chapter 4 | 4 |
Yield 59 | 35 |
The fight over water 66 | 42 |
Climate change and agriculture 71 | 48 |
Tropical products 78 | 54 |
Rapid production increase when prices rise? 85 | 61 |
Ideas about agriculture trade and society | 67 |
Ricardo and agriculture 97 | 73 |
CONTENTS 7 | 7 |
Political differences 176 | 10 |
The postwar period strong growth in production 184 | 18 |
A new trade organisation and falling prices 190 | 24 |
Agriculture versus industry during development 196 | 30 |
The farmer a cash cow 202 | 36 |
Profitability does the worldmarket price increase reach the farmer? 209 | 44 |
Infrastructure 216 | 50 |
Countercyclical policy 103 | 79 |
The closing stages of neoliberalism? 109 | 85 |
Agriculture and development | 91 |
Primary produce versus industrial commodities 125 | 101 |
Asian miracles phase two 131 | 107 |
Agricultural productivity 137 | 3 |
CONTENTS 5 | 5 |
CONTENTS | 6 |
Agriculture versus industry 145 | 11 |
Grain stores in China 151 | 17 |
Agricultural commodities and EastWest relations 157 | 23 |
Asian famine increases the Western lead 163 | 29 |
The second agricultural revolution new land areas 170 | 4 |
Criticisms of the Green Revolution 222 | 56 |
CONTENTS | 8 |
Chapter 11 | 27 |
The Doha Round 259 | 33 |
Exporters 265 | 39 |
Will G20 replace G8? 273 | 47 |
Agricultural policies for the 21st century 283 | 57 |
Predictable exports and imports 291 | 65 |
Will WTO listen? 298 | 72 |
| 79 | |
| 89 | |