Agriculture's Futures

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Overview.
• The Farm and Food System.
• The Industrialization of U. S. Agriculture.
• The Shift of Work from Farm Firms to Nonfarm Firms.
• From Self-Sufficiency to Specialization and Interdependence.
• Changes in Processing and Distribution.
• The Transportation System and Product Flows.
• World Markets and the Increasing Complexity of Coordinating Supply and Demand.
• The Changing Role of Government.
• Politics and the Food System.
• Future Prospects.
• Macro Forces Shaping U. S. Agriculture.
• Growing Sensitivity to Macroeconomic Events.
• Dimensions of Farm Financial Stress.
• Financial Status of Farmers.
• Financial Status of Farm Lenders.
• Farm Solutions: The International Dimension.
• Change in Monetary and Fiscal Policy.
• Tax Policies.
• Agricultural Policies.
• The Changing Structure of Agriculture.
• Recent Evolution in Farm Structure.
• Family Farm Survival — Is It an Issue?.
• The Future of Cooperatives.
• Impact on Farm Families.
• Implications for Rural Communities.
• Policy Implications.
• Concentration, Conglomerates, and Multinational Firms in the Food Marketing System.
• Outlook.
• Farm Production Inputs: Future Changes.
• Land.
• Water.
• Labor.
• Management.
• Financial Capital.
• Transportation.
• Energy.
• Technology and Productivity—Future Courses.
• Productivity and Technology Evaluation.
• Sources of New Technology.
• The Relationship Between R & D and Economic Growth/Productivity.
• Policy Issues Concerning Public and Private Research.
• Property Rights: New Ideas, Secrecy Needs, and Profit.
• Biotechnology: Genetic Engineering.
• Potential Changes in Agriculture Through Biotechnology.
• Technology in Food Processing.
• What Is a New Food Product?.
• Quality Control, Cost Reduction, and Productivity.
• Meteorology and Climate Change.
• Consumer Demand and Food Marketing.
• ConsumerExpectations, Tastes, and Preferences.
• Changes in Demand.
• Business Firms Beyond the Farmer.
• Food Manufacturers.
• Food Retailing and Wholesaling.
• Merchandising’s Role in the System.
• International Agricultural Trade.
• An Historical Perspective.
• Future Agricultural Trade Policy.
• Future Solutions.
• Federal Farm Programs.
• Why Government Policy?.
• Historical Policy Perspective.
• The Stage for Future Agricultural Policies.
• Policy Alternatives.
• The Role of Government in Agriculture.
• Economic and Political Guides to the Future.
• Characteristics of Government’s Future Role.
• Coalitions Between Farmers and Nonfarmers.
• Past and Present Goals.
• Policy Problems and Remedial Strategies.
• Credit and Agricultural Finance.
• Food Safety Issues.
• Tax Policies and Tax Management.
• Federal or Private Sector Insurance Programs.
• Market Orders.
• Public Education and Research.
• Natural Resources and the Environment.
• Natural Resource Issues.
• Wildlife and Agricultural Issues.
• Policy Tools and Resource Policy.
• Future Water Issues.
• Soil Conservation.
• Air Issues.
• Toward a Sustainable Agriculture.
• Suggested Readings.