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.