To publish a book titled The Real Agricultural Revolution at a time when scientists and policy makers are declaring the world to be on the cusp of a fourth agricultural revolution, might appear deliberately provocative. After all, historians are still debating the nature and existence of the first three agricultural revolutions and interrogating commentators’ motivations for declaring any event to be “revolutionary.” However, the authors of this volume are not interested in such debates and developments. Rather, their prime objective is to describe and explain the “real” and “unprecedented” increase in agricultural output that characterized the period 1939–85 in England.
The authors openly acknowledge that they are not the first to grapple with this issue. Agricultural economists, scientists, and historians have already produced top-down accounts highlighting the effects of a supportive policy environment that channeled funds into scientific research, capital grants, agricultural education and extension services. Analyzing the situation more...
