ABSTRACT
A number of developments have brought about basic changes in the world food economy – the decline of world grain reserves; the Soviet Union’s becoming a large food importer; ecological deterioration of food systems; limitations of plant technology, which are beginning to be recognized; downturn in grain yield per hectare; escalating costs of agricultural production. For the first time since World War II global agricultural production began to fall slightly. Fueled by the relentless growth of population and the rising tide of affluence, the global demand for food “began to outstrip the productive capacity of the world’s farmers and fishermen.” In regard to production, “the most important component of a global strategy” is to bring about agricultural reform in countries where output is lagging. The “principal weakness of countries with poorly performing agricultural sectors” is the tenuous or non-existent relationship between effort and reward for those persons actually working on the land.
