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Although much of the original motivation to settle America was fueled by a divine imperative to 'go forth and conquer' in the name of God, domestic farm policy also played a large role in motivating both citizens and newly arrived immigrants to settle the lands of the vast unknown. This began in the 1800s when …
Continue reading "a history of domestic (American) agricultural policy"
Love it or hate it, agribusiness is the main player in the realm of food and fiber production. The days of the supposed idyllic rural farm life are largely gone (albeit their is a growing interest in new peasantry), having been replaced by super-sized farms run with the increasingly specialized technology. There is nothing inherently …
Continue reading "the advantages and disadvantages of agribusiness"
Good or bad, agribusiness is an undeniable part of the agricultural landscape. We often associate the concept with (bad) industry practices and giant corporations. These associations aren't wrong, but there is so much more to agribusiness than widely- known cultural giants with poor social and environmental track records. So, what does agribusiness really mean? The …
Continue reading "how does agribusiness work? what are the different parts of agribusiness?"
Historically speaking, agriculture has been treated as a single, unified sector in which existing market mechanisms (most commonly government intervention) enabled the coordination of production and distribution. This approach failed to account for the activities engaged in by private entities, e.g. farmers or industries working with farmers. The common understanding of agriculture as a sector …
Continue reading "what is agribusiness? how did agribusiness evolve?"
It is commonly argued that industrial agriculture is a necessary evil in the world. Proponents contend that industrial agriculture's efficiency and ability to produce huge quantities of products using less space are pivotal to feeding hungry nations throughout the world. Others believe that industrial agriculture has freed poor, rural citizens from their 'backward country ways' …
In 1957, John H. Davis and Ray A. Goldberg published A Concept of Agribusiness. Their pro-corporate stance argued that the private sector, rather than the government, should be responsible for the stabilization of the agricultural sector. They were of the opinion that flaws in the agricultural sector were perpetuated by New Deal policy, i.e. government intervention, …
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