ABSTRACT
The industrial chapter of global agriculture commenced on a major scale at the end of World War II. In the UK, the 1947 Agricultural Act offered farmers guaranteed prices, thus providing them with a bottomless market for everything they could produce. UK farming is at a crossroads and there is also a major debate taking place on future strategies for world agriculture. Numerous studies by UK conservation organizations have drawn attention to an enormous decline in the biodiversity on UK farms, particularly within the cropped habitat. A wealth of evidence exists to suggest that organic matter levels in arable soils have declined to thresholds where increased soil erosion is inevitable. Organic farming reduces external inputs and maximizes internal nutrient cycles. Disturbing new evidence suggests that the use of artificial fertilizers to increase yields also has a negative impact on the mineral and trace element content of staple foods.
