Dutch Agriculture Research Articles

Dutch agriculture in the period 1950–1970 and a look ahead

The period 1950–1970 was a period of drastic structural change in Dutch agriculture. There was a strong decline of the agricultural population, expansion of the scale of production and a fast increase of production, particularly in the pig and poultry industries and in horticulture. Through these developments Dutch agriculture evolved as a far more capital intensive and labour extensive industry. The firms, however, remained relatively small. The trends in productivity and income of Dutch agriculture as a consequence of these developments are considered in this article. The productivity of Dutch agriculture increased more than that of the other sectors, and agriculture thus made a relatively large contribution to the growth of the national economy. In spite of a deterioration of the terms of trade, agricultural income levels could be kept in line with income development in the rest of the economy. The trends of the decline of the agricultural population and of productivity increase of the period 1950–1970 are expected to continue during the 1970s. Taking into account the probable continuance of inflationary price rises, the future income development will depend strongly on the agricultural price and income policy of the EEC.

POLITICAL RADICALISM AMONG DUTCH FARMERS1)

Although income parity has been achieved in Dutch agriculture, dissatisfaction with income is prevalent among farmers for reasons which are quite understandable. Low income is the most important factor that brings about the decrease in the number of farmers. A real opposition against government agricultural policies is pursued by two minor political parties, namely the Communist Party and the Farmers Party. The Farmers Party is a radical right wing political party which has enjoyed a fast growing electoral success between 1958 and 1966. Farmers who sympathise with the Farmers Party are over-represented among those farmers who look for security to be given by the government. The central hypothesis of the empirical study was that those farmers who score high on the authoritarianism scale, and who at the same time are disoriented in some way, will show sympathies with the Farmers Party. Two kinds of disorientation are further elaborated: anomy and relative deprivation. This central hypothesis is invalidated by empirical data. Anomy, independent from authoritarianism, appears to be a factor explaining sympathies with the Farmers Party; second, only among the less authoritarian farmers and, connected with this, among the higher income categories can a relationship be observed between relative deprivation and sympathy with the Farmers Party. Disorientation is presumably the central factor that brings about a sympathy with the Farmers Party. Among the higher income categories, anomy seems to originate from income dissatisfaction; among the lower income categories, those farmers who look for security to be given by the government and who at the same time do not believe that the government will be ready to procure this security, show sympathies with the Farmers Party

Agricultural productivity in Western Europe.

Two hypotheses on agricultural production are tested: (1) that productivity of European agriculture is low, but that there are large regional and national differences; and (2) that there is a pattern in these differences: productivity is high around the North Sea and declines with increasing distance and with altitude. The criterion used to evaluate the facts is the net total productivity index, and Dutch agriculture is the basis for comparison. Results appear to agree with the two hypotheses. A. abr. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)

Productivity measurement and supply analysis in agriculture.

Supply analysis is an important part of economic analysis, but there are still some inconsistencies and difficulties in the conventional type of analysis. Applying clearly defined concepts of agriculture and " net value added " leads to a new formulation of the supply relationship in agriculture. This formula has been used in a statistical study of Dutch agriculture; it provides some reliable estimates of short and long run supply elasticities and of technical progress in agriculture, allowing some hypotheses about agricultural supply in the Netherlands to be tested. T. A. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)

Social Tensions Between Farmer and Farm Laborer in Northern Holland

In a well-organized district of the Netherlands personal relations between farmer and farm laborer up to about 1800 were patriarchal and peaceable. Then farmers became capitalistic entrepreneurs, and strong class distinctions developed between them and their hands, who now became an unattached proletariat susceptible to Marxism; and strikes and lockouts became frequent. Following the depression, to save Dutch agriculture, both parties had to make peace and co-operate in a bureaucratically conducted program; yet the class antagonisms persist. It is suggested that the agricultural colleges might correct this by inculcating new attitudes in the young farmers.

Oat breeding in the Netherlands

While towards the turn of the century the German yellow oat Probsteier had spread considerably in the Netherlands a shift occurred after about 1910 in favour of Svalof varieties. First Victory spread, later other varieties followed. Dutch agriculture has derived much benefit from these varieties. However, oat breeding in the Netherlands developed also. In the course of years the breederMansholt produced several varieties, which together occupied about 20% of the area under oats. To the breederP. J. Hijlkema belongs the honour of creating the variety Marne, which could successfully compete with the Svalof varieties. In 1953 Mansholt's varieties occupied 2% of the area under oats; Hijlkema's varieties 63%; the variety of the Central Bureau 5% and Black President 1%. That means that in 1953 home-bred varieties occupied 71% of the land under oats. The changes that have occurred in the varietal range are shown in Fig. 1. Some of the Dutch varieties are also appreciated abroad.

Water Problems in Dutch Agriculture

Water Problems in Dutch Agriculture