ABSTRACT
This chapter examines processes that have accelerated changes in farming, fisheries and forestry. Up to the 1950s, large numbers of rural people had limited direct contact with markets, despite the importance of export agriculture and increasing domestic trade in food crops to supply the towns. Most commercial crops, like those for the farmers’ own use, were grown with customary techniques using local resources, and productivity was generally low. Apart from the pineapple and sugar industries, few of the large capitalist producers reinvested much capital into production. In part, this was because trade, exchange rate and other macro-economic policies were biased in favour of manufacturing and commerce.
